Rice And Coconut Dumplings (Soyee Muddo, Bobbarya)

Rice And Coconut Dumplings (Soyee Muddo, Bobbarya)

Good old traditional 'akki kadubu'. Translates to rice dumplings. These dumplings are called soyee muddo/bobbarya in Konkani. (The name comes from their shape. The dumpling shape resembles the shape of bobbarya stone, a deity worshipped by Hindus. ) And are a very old Konkani household breakfast.

Rice is ground into semolina texture and is cooked along with coconut and salt. They're then rolled into barrels and are steamed in banana leaves for their amazing smell and taste. Steamed rice dumplings are then cut into roundels and are served with coconut oil on top with a spicy coconut chutney. 

Soyee muddo is a Konkani breakfast from my mom's, my MIL's and their mother's times. I'm told my mom's granny and my husband's granny used to make them all the time. My mom had forgotten this Konkani dish until I got married and ate the ones my MIL made often, for my hubby. He loves them! 

These rice dumplings taste great while they are steaming hot and even better once they get cold. I just love eating them as-is, with just coconut oil on top, be it hot or cold dumplings.

If you do not find banana leaves, then steam these barrel-shaped dumplings as-is in a steamer. They taste great even without banana leaves. Here's how to make them:


Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup of short grained rice (dosa rice or sona masuri)
  • 1/2 cup grated fresh coconut
  • Salt to taste
  • 2 banana leaves for steaming (optional)

Serves: 2

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Steaming Time: 15 minutes


Preparation Method:

1. Wash rice grains well and drain all the water completely.

2. Air dry the washed rice grains until they are completely dry. 

3. Once the rice grains have dried out completely, powder them into semolina texture (rava) for few pulses in a mixer. We want the whole rice grains to break down into 3-4 pieces. We also want a little bit of fine powder for binding, bringing together the dumpling. A little rice powder is formed while grinding. 

4. Meanwhile, heat up 1.5 cups of water in a wok. Add in salt as needed & check & taste. The water should be a teeny tiny salty than normal as the rice will then take up all the salt.

5. Once the water is rolling hot, add in grated coconut and mix well. 

6. Then add in ground rice and mix well. Cook them on a medium flame until all the water evaporates and you get a dry mixture. By then the rice grains would cook a little more than half way through. Saute every once in a while to ensure uniform cooking.

7. Put off the flame, keep it closed for 3-5 minutes. The rice grains cook further during this time. 

8. If you cook rice on a high flame, all the water evaporates fast and the rice grains may not cook through. So, cook them on a small to medium flame. This process is called aloche in Konkani. The above steps are similar to how you would make undi.

9. After 5 minutes, spread the mixture onto a plate so that they cool a little for you make dumplings out of them. Dip your hand in cold water so that you can take the heat from the hot rice mixture. Take a handful of rice mixture, roll it on a plate so that it forms a barrel shape, press both the ends of the barrel on the plate to flatten them out. If the mixture sticks to the plate, add a little water to your fingers & roll the dumpling with your hand. The moisture prevents it from sticking to the plate.  

10. Similarly, make dumplings from rest of the mixture. Size and thickness of the dumplings can vary. 

11. You can steam these dumplings rolled in banana leaves or steam them directly in a steamer. 

12. To roll these barrel-shaped rice dumplings in banana leaves, first cut each banana leaf into 4, 6 or 8 equal parts depending on the size of the banana leaf. Wash and wipe them dry.

12. Run each piece of banana leaf over a high gas flame for few seconds, so that they wilt a little, uniformly in all the places. Or else the banana leaf tends to break as you try to fold them. 

13. Get a steamer going, meanwhile roll each dumpling in a banana leaf piece.

14. Once the water is steaming, place them in the steamer one by one. Steam on medium flame for 15-20 minutes.


Serving suggestions:

Serve these dumplings piping hot or once they are cold with coconut oil on top and with a spicy coconut chutney. They taste great while they are hot and even better once they get cold. 

Cut each dumpling into roundels and serve them. You may not get nice roundels while they are hot. Once they cool down, you get to make neat roundels.


Find more Konkani cuisine breakfast recipes here.

Tags: Konkani breakfast, Konkani cuisine, Konkani recipes, Konkani food, bobbarya, soyee muddo, GSB Konkani recipe, vegan, vegetarian recipe, South Canara Konkani recipe, Konkani cooking, GSB Konkani cuisine, kids breakfast