Sihi Kaddi ( Rice spätzle), is an Indian delicacy which closely resembles the popular German / Schwabian staple food – Spätzle. You may ask, aren’t they the usual noodles or dumplings? Well, you may say so. But, noodles are rather long strands of dough and dumpling is the steamed form of dough. See Kaddi, or Spätzle for that matter, fall in between. So, I would like to retain its original name here – Sihi Kaddi, where, ‘Sihi’ means Sweet in the local South Canara lingo and ‘Kaddi’ means twig or short strands.
It is a very unique and yummy dish and am sure, you would love it too.
Here goes the recipe :
Soaking time: 2 hours
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking: 40 minutes
Total time: 3 hours (Approx.) (Including soaking time)
Ingredients:
Rice: 1.5 cups (you may use rice flour as well)
Jaggery: 0.5 cup
Salt to taste
Grated coconut: 1 cup (0.5 cup for grinding and 0.5 cup for jaggery mixture)
Onion: 2 (medium sized) (finely chopped)
For tempering:
Ground nuts: 1 tsp.
Mustard seeds: 1 tsp.
Split Bengal Gram: 1 tsp.
Urad dal: 1 tsp.
Ghee / Coconut Oil: 1 tbsp.
Dry chilli: 1
Method:
Quick Video :
- Wash and soak rice for about 2 hours
- Along with 0.5 cup of grated coconut, grind the rice to a smooth paste. Add salt to taste
- Now, heat a heavy bottomed pan and pour the ground batter onto it and keep stirring. Continue mixing it well in cut and fold manner until the batter turns into a large dumpling (of roughly chapathi dough consistency). This may take about 5 to 10 minutes on medium flame
- Keep it aside for about 5 minutes and let it cool
- Meanwhile, preheat steam pot and grease the mould (a press with multiple straw sized holes on one end)
- Now, make small balls from the freshly prepared rice dumpling and put it inside the greased mould and press it onto the pre-heated steam pot. Repeat the step with the remaining dough
- Steam cook over medium flame for 15 minutes
- Once cooked, remove from flame and keep it aside
- In a mixing bowl, add the powdered jaggery and remaining coconut and mix well. Keep it aside
- In a wide mouthed pan, heat coconut oil. Add urad dal, Bengal gram, mustard seeds and dry chilli. Continue heat till the mustard seeds splutter. Add the curry leaves
- Add the chopped onions and fry until golden brown
- Now, add the coconut-jaggery mixture to it, add salt to it and mix well
- Finally add the rice strands, mix well and cook for about 3 to 4 minutes
- Sihi Kaddi is ready to serve.
See Kaddi stories:
Recently, while walking through the streets of Konstanz, Germany, the very look of the local cuisine – Spätzle, reminded me of Sihi Kaddi which my mom prepared long ago. I did even mention this to my husband. Back home, the first thing that I did was to call up mom and tell her that people in Germany too, make something similar to Sihi Kaddi. She was pleasantly surprised that I still remembered it. How could I not? Come Sundays, we used to have some or the other new dishes served for breakfast or lunch or dinner. Well, outside food was forbidden during our childhood and so to compensate, mom used to prepare all that we wished to eat, at home!!! Sihi Kaddi was one of them…
All these years, I had just enjoyed the taste of the dish without getting into the details. But this time around, I asked mom for its recipe and then, there was no looking back. I was on a – Sihi Kaddi spree… Come weekends, the breakfast menu was fixed – Sihi Kaddi… This went on until I got it right!!! And yes, my husband and daughter loved having it too and didn’t complain about the repetition!!!
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