Kidiyo | Kulkuls | Mangalorean Christmas Gnocchi
The Kuswar preparation during the days leading upto Christmas is a family activity where the entire family gets together to help in the preparation of these tasty confectioneries. While some of these preparations like the Nevri or Kokkis may require experienced adult hands to get them done, the Kidiyo/ Kulkuls are a proper family based preparation where even the little ones in the family can lend a helping hand (my 4 year old niece is already an expert in shaping kidiyo).
These are deep-fried sweet dough curls prepared as part of the Christmas Kuswar Platter in Mangalore and Goa. They are believed to be a derivative of Filhós(Filhoses) Enroladas – a rose like rolled pastry introduced to the region by the Portuguese. When rolled they appear like worms/ caterpillars, commonly known as Kidiyo in Konkani and hence they are called so in Konkani. But I wonder how they got the name “Kulkul”? Was it because of the sound they make when shaken together? Maybe!
I remember the good old days from my childhood when me and my siblings, along with Dad would sit together, shaping the kidiyo while mom would do the frying and icing. Miss those days!
How to make Kulkuls
The process of making Kidiyo can be divided into four components viz. making the dough, shaping, frying and icing. Begin by sieving the flour with semolina and salt. I use a blend of all-purpose flour and whole wheat flour. If you desire you can use only all-purpose flour too. Add the butter and gently mix to form a crumbly flour mixture. Follow this by adding eggs and blending into the flour mixture. Then add sugar and coconut milk and knead until it all comes together into a smooth pliable dough. keep the dough covered with a damp cloth to prevent it from drying.
Once the dough is ready we can move on to shaping the kidiyo. I shaped them using a fork but you can use other similar moulds like a fine comb or a Gnocchi board to shape them. Spread thinly, a marble sized portion of the dough on the back of the fork. Roll this into a conch shape to resemble a worm/ caterpillar. Push the lip of the outer edge of the shaped kulkul into the rolled dough to prevent it from opening while frying. Cover with a damp cloth to prevent it from drying while you shape the rest of the dough.
Drop the shaped kidiyo into medium hot oil and fry until they turn golden brown. using a slotted spoon, take them out to an absorbent towel to remove excess oil and allow them to cool to room temperature. They will harden as they cool down. Once they cool down, prepare sugar syrup by heating sugar with some water until it melts and turns syrupy. Add the cooled Kidiyo to this syrup and gently swirl them around until they are well coated with the syrup. take them off the heat and allow to cool completely to room temperature and let the icing to solidify. After cooling completely, transfer them to an air-tight container.
You can make these even without the sugar-icing. If you wish to skip the icing, just increase the quantity of sugar that goes into the dough. Done!
Kidiyo | Kulkuls
Equipment
- Mixing Bowl, medium sized
- Sieve
- Hand-held mixer with Dough hook
- Gnocchi Board/ Fork/ Comb
- Medium sized pot (for deep frying)
- Slotted spoon
- Large-sized deep frying pan
Ingredients
for the Kulkul dough:
- ¼ kg All-purpose flour
- ¼ kg Whole-wheat flour
- 1 tbsp Semolina, fine-grain (optional)
- ½ tsp Salt
- 30 gms Butter, unsalted
- 2 pc Eggs, medium-sized
- 50 gms Sugar (see notes)
- 1 cup Coconut Milk, Thick
for Deep-frying he Kulkuls:
- Vegetable Oil, as needed
for the Sugar-icing:
- 200 gms Sugar
- ¼ cup Water
Instructions
making the Dough:
- Sieve the Flours and Semolina (if using) and salt into a mixing bowl
- Add the butter and mix at low speed to form a crumbly flour mixture
- Add the eggs and beat into the crumbly flour
- Add the sugar and coconut milk and knead until it comes together into a smooth pliable dough
- Cover with a damp cloth to prevent drying of the dough
Shaping the Kulkuls
- Spread a marble sized portion of the dough on the mould of your choice (fork/ comb/ gnocchi board) into a thin 1" x 2" rectangle
- Roll it along the length of the rectangle into a conch shape
- Press down the outer lip of the formed kulkul into the rolled dough to prevent it from opening up while frying
- Keep the formed kulkul covered with a damp cloth to prevent them from drying
Frying the Kulkul:
- Heat the oil to medium-hot
- Drop the shaped kulkuls one by one slowly into the hot oil and fry till they turn golden brown
- Using a slotted spoon, take them out onto an absorbent towel to remove the excess oil
- The kulkuls will harden as they cool
- Once they are cooled to room temperature, proceed to make the icing
Sugar-Icing the Kulkuls:
- In a large enough pan, heat the sugar with the water until the sugar melts completely and turns syrupy
- Add the kulkuls to the sugar syrup and gently swirl them around until they are well coated with the syrup
- Transfer to a large enough bowl and allow them to cool down and let the icing harden
Storing the Kulkuls:
- Once the kulkul have cooled completely, transfer them to an air-tight container. Done!
Notes
- If you are not going to coat the kulkuls in sugar icing, double the quantity of sugar used in the dough
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