Vishu Katta

Vishu Katta is a rice cake – a traditional Kerala dish, served as breakfast for Vishu usually in mid-Kerala in districts like Thrissur. In the glorious yesterdays when agriculture was given so much importance, Vishu Katta used to be prepared with freshly harvested rice from paddy fields. Now everything is just instant! There are slight variations in method of preparation. However raw rice and coconut milk are the main ingredients, and it’s served as a dessert. Here is one such method of preparation. You can also add cumin seeds, dry ginger or cardamom, or a combination of two or more to bring twist to this delicious dish. You can use Unakkalari (a form of brown rice usually used to prepare payasam) or Pachari for best results.

Ingredients for Vishu Katta (Recipe 1):

1. Brown raw rice (Unakkalari) – 1 glass

    Green gram dal – 1 glass

2. Coconut milk – Extracted from 2 coconuts

3. Jaggery – ¼ kg, melted and strained

4. Ghee – 1 small spoon

How to prepare Vishu Katta (Recipe 1)?

1. Slightly dry fry green gram dal.

2. Cook raw rice and dal adding coconut milk.

3. When it thickens add melted jaggery.

4. Mix the contents well and put off the flame.

5. Add ghee and allow it to rest for a while.

6. You can cut Vishu Katta into small square pieces and serve.

Note: In some regions, instead of pouring jaggery solution to Vishu Katta, it is served along with the dish. Usually it’s served on banana leaves, and a few drops of 1^st extract of coconut milk can be sprinkled to add extra flavour. During the preparation of dish also, you can add 1^st extract of coconut milk in the final stage just before you take Vishu Katta from flame.

Courtesy: Vanitha Magazine April 1-14, 2015 

Vishu Katta (Recipe 2)

Ingredients for Vishu Katta (Recipe 2):

1. Basmati rice/Good quality raw rice – 1.5 cups

2. Coconut milk second extract – 4 cups

3. Coconut milk first extract – 1 cup

    Cumin seeds – A pinch

    Salt – As needed

4. Jaggery – For taste

5. Ghee – 1 small spoon

How to prepare Vishu Katta (Recipe 2)?

1. Wash rice well and cook it adding second extract of coconut milk.

2. When rice in 3/4^th done, add ingredients no: 3 and cook again.

3. When water content is fully absorbed and rice is well cooked, put off the flame.

4. Grease a plate using coconut milk and transfer cooked rice to it.

5. Using a spoon spread the contents to level it.

6. When it cools, cut into desired pieces.

7. Melt jaggery adding sufficient water to prepare jaggery solution. It should have thin consistency.

8. Add a spoon of ghee to jaggery solution and mix well.

9. Pour this jaggery solution on the top of Vishu Katta and serve.

Courtesy: Vanitha Magazine, April 1-14, 2020

Vishu Katta (Recipe 3)

Ingredients for Vishu Katta (Recipe 3):

1. Coconut – 2 

2. Unakkalari/Raw rice (sun-dried) used for payasam – 1 cup 

3. Water – ½ cup 

4. Jaggery – 2 blocks 

5. Cumin powder – ½ teaspoon 

   Cardamom powder – ¼ teaspoon

How to prepare Vishu Katta (Recipe 3)?

1. Extract the coconut milk and prepare 1½ cups of first extract and a total of 4½ cups combining the second and third extracts. 

2. Cook the rice in the 4½ cups of coconut milk. 

3. Once the rice is well cooked and the mixture thickens, add the first extract of coconut milk, stir well, heat slightly, and transfer to a banana leaf. Press and cover to set. 

4. In a thick-bottomed vessel, prepare syrup by boiling water and jaggery. 

5. Add cumin powder and cardamom powder to the syrup and stir well. 

6. Cut the set Vishu Katta into square pieces, pour the jaggery syrup over them, and serve.

Courtesy: Vanitha Magazine, March 29-April 11, 2025

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