Kidiyo, or kulkuls, have their place on the Mangalorean Christmas Kuswar platter. Those little ridged curls and their crunchy bite are such a familiar part of the season. The name Kidiyo means worms, which makes sense when you look at their shape, though these are much more tempting!
I make the eggless version I learnt from Mom, with coconut milk for kneading the dough, just as Mai does. It is a little of both homes coming together in the Christmas cooking, and that is what makes this recipe special to me.
For the small batch in this reel, I used a gnocchi board. It helped me shape two kulkuls at once. A fork or a new comb works too, so you can use what you have to make those little ridges before rolling them into curls.
For Diwali, we make a glazed version. This is the regular version for the Kuswar platter, with the sweetness in the dough itself. I use a quarter cup of icing sugar, but you can increase it to half a cup if you like them sweeter.
Equipment
- A gnocchi board, fork or new clean comb reserved for food preparation
Kidiyo / Kulkuls (Eggless Christmas Kuswar)
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 2 cups maida (plain flour)
- ½ cup semolina
- ¼ cup icing sugar, or up to ½ cup for a sweeter version
- ½ tsp elaichi (cardamom) powder, optional
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ cup butter or ghee
- Coconut milk, as needed to knead the dough
- Oil, for frying
Instructions
Method
- Mix the maida, semolina, icing sugar and salt in a bowl. Add the cardamom powder if using.
- Add the butter or ghee and rub it into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Squeeze a little in your fist: it should hold its shape.
- Add coconut milk gradually and knead into a dough. Cover and rest for 15–20 minutes.
- Take small portions of dough and press them against the ridges of a gnocchi board, fork or new clean comb. Roll each piece off to form a ridged curl. Repeat with the remaining dough.
- Heat the frying oil over medium-low heat. Fry the shaped kidiyo until golden brown, keeping the heat at medium-low so they cook through.
- Lift them out, drain off the excess oil and allow them to cool before serving.
Notes
- This is the eggless recipe learnt from Mom, using coconut milk as Mai does.
- Use ¼ cup icing sugar for the original sweetness, increasing to ½ cup if preferred.
- Cardamom is optional.
- The source leaves the coconut milk quantity unmeasured. Add it gradually, just until the dough comes together.
- A gnocchi board is handy for shaping a small batch; a fork or a new clean comb can also make the ridges.
- This recipe has no sugar glaze. The Diwali glazed version is a separate recipe.
Find more Kuswar recipes with Guliyo and Kokkisan / Rose Cookies.
