Karupatti Mittai Recipe

Karupatti Mittai is also known as cheeni mittai, yeni mittai or mandaba mittai is a traditional car festival sweet made with rice, urad dal and karupatti. This is a popular South Indian festival sweet recipe that is a childhood nostalgic recipe just like thaen mittai. This authentic sweet has a crispy outer layer which is soaked in a healthy palm jaggery syrup that burst in your mouth. In this blog post, Learn how to make karupatti mittai with step by step pictures and video. 

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Karupatti Mittai

When I was young, every time during oor thiruvizha( local car festival) we used to enjoy many of this hot karupatti mittai. We call this as choodu mittai, since we buy them piping hot from the vendor. My Amma calls this as yeni mitt since it is displayed as a ladder like structure in the shop. Our childhood car festival is not complete without this sweet. 

Jump to:

• What is Karupatti Mittai?
• Watch Karupatti Mittai Video
• About Karupatti Mittai
• Karupatti Mittai Ingredients
• Tips for Crispy Karupatti Mittai 
• How to Make Karupatti Mittai (Stepwise Pictures)
• Expert Tips
• 📖 Recipe Card

This recipe has been requested from a viewer of mine a long time. Finally I got a chance to make them few weeks back. I saved this to post as Diwali post. I made this when I made my thaen mittai, both of these sweets have same batter. 

Karupatti mittai is my childhood nostalgic sweet recipe which is so yummy. It has a crispy outer layer which is soaked in palm jaggery syrup which soaks into the sweet. When you bite into it, it just drips off in your mouth. You can make syrup using sugar instead of jaggery syrup and dip these. But personally I like the taste of karupatti or palm jaggery.

What is Karupatti Mittai?

Karuppati Mittai is also known as Thenkuzhal Sweet in my native Nagercoil. It is an authentic sweet made entirely with rice, urad dal, palm jaggery (karupatti), spices like cardamom, dry ginger. A thick batter is made with soaked rice and urad dal mixture which is then piped over hot oil like swirl ladder like pattern and fried. The fried thenkuzhal is soaked in a thick spiced palm jaggery (karupatti) syrup to get iconic black look. It is best had piping hot right after it is soaked. 

More Recipes using Karupatti

Karupatti Kozhukattai

Karupatti Kaapi

Palm Jaggery Cake

Karupatti Halwa

Watch Karupatti Mittai Video

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About Karupatti Mittai

Karupatti mittai is also called as cheeni mittai or yeni mittai. It is a popular South Indian temple festival sweet recipe. The sweet is made with rice and urad dal batter, similar to jangri batter. The batter is taken in a piping bag or funnel and piped over hot oil like a swirl ladder like pattern. I use piping bag which is easy for me, but traditionally jangri cloth  or a pot like vessel (chombu) is used. 

Making karupatti mittai is easy. You have to start by soaking rice and urad dal together for few hours. Grind the rice and dal to a smooth batter. It is best to use a wet grinder to grind. But I used my blender. Once the batter is ground, take it in a bowl and use a wooden spoon to beat it well to incorporate air into the batter which makes the batter lighter. You can skip this step if you made the batter in a wet grinder.

Pipe the batter straight into the oil and fry till crispy. Fried mittai is soaked in syrup until the syrup is absorbed into the sweet. This sweet has a slight cardamom and dry ginger flavour which makes it super delicious. In this blog post, I have shared all the tips and tricks for making karupatti mittai with step by step pictures and video. 

Similar Recipes

Thaen Mittai

Motichoor Ladoo

Kara Sev

Mysore Pak

Karupatti Mittai Ingredients

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Rice - you can use any rice of choice. Personally I use idli rice, but you can use regular rice which we use daily for cooking (Ponni). 

Whole Urad dal - urad dal helps to make the batter light and fluffy. Use good quality urad dal which is important to get fluffy batter. 

Karupatti | Palm Jaggery - Pagu vellam or mandai vellam can be used instead of palm jaggery. But palm jaggery has an iconic distinct flavour which cannot be replaced. It is important to boil the syrup and strain it before using, since karupatti has dust and dirt in them. 

Spices - I used ground cardamom and ground dry ginger as flavourings for my karupatti syrup. 

Oil - use neutral flavourless oil for deep frying. 

Optional - baking soda is mixed into the batter to create light airy texture which can be skipped if you make the batter in a wet grinder. 

Tips for Crispy Karupatti Mittai 

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Getting Karupatti Mittai Batter Right

The most important step in karupatti mittai is getting the batter fluffy and thick. If you grind the batter in a wet grinder then this is easy. You can get the batter fluffy and thick. But if you use a blender, it can be tricky. So follow the steps given below. 

Don’t add more water - when grinding in a blender, try not to add more water when grinding the batter. Sprinkle little water at a time and blend till thick and fluffy. You can even add couple of ice cubes when blending to make the batter light. 

A pinch of baking soda - once the batter is ready, add a pinch of baking soda and mix. This helps the mittai to get super crispy and light when fried.

Incorporate air - Use a wooden spoon to beat (whip) the batter for 4 to 5 minutes to incorporate some air into the batter. You can use an electric beater to do this step.

Do the float test - like medu vada batter, do the float test. Take a small portion from the batter and drop in cold water. If the batter floats then the batter is ready for frying. 

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Read this Before Frying Karupatti mittai

Any shapes  - Traditionally this mittai is shaped like a ladder. But you can fry them into any shapes you prefer. You can make them in circles or make like mini jangri. Get your creatives juices flow and make this mittai into any shapes. 

Using right cookware - For frying mittai, use flat bottom pan or kadai. This will help to make the ladder like pattern much more easy. I like to use saute pan or frying pan for frying the sweet. 

Frying Temperature - Fry the mittai on low to medium heat till it is super crispy. It may take around 3 to 5 minutes to get the crispy texture. So take your time when frying. So it stays crispy even when dunked in the syrup. 

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About Karupatti Syrup

The flavour of karupatti mittai depends on the palm jaggery you use. So source the best quality organic palm jaggery. If your palm jaggery is in one big lump, break it into small pieces before adding into the water. Boil the jaggery, allow the jaggery to melt. Now strain this and cook until thick and syrupy. 

The syrup can be left unflavoured so the palm jaggery flavour shines. But I like to flavour it with some cardamom and dry ginger powder. You have to keep this syrup warm till you dip the mittai. So the mittai absorbs the syrup better. 

Soak fried mittai directly in the hot syrup. You can leave them to soak longer, if you want syrupy mittai. I usually leave them for one to two minute. 

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Karupatti mittai in 4 easy steps

Making Batter - Take rice and dal in a bowl. wash it well, soak them in water for 3 hours. Drain them and add it to a blender, add very little water at a time and make it into a thick smooth paste. It doesn't have to be very smooth, the rice will remain little grainy, that is not an issue. Use a wooden spoon to beat (whip) the batter for 4 to 5 minutes to incorporate some air into the batter. You can add a pinch of baking soda and salt and mix the batter. 

Palm Jaggery Syrup - Now make the palm jaggery syrup, take palm jaggery and water in a sauce pan. Heat it and Mix it well till the palm jaggery is melted. Strain it and add it back to the pan and boil it for 6 to 8 mins till it gets little thick and syrupy. Now add in cardamom and dry ginger powder and mix well. You have to keep this syrup warm till you dip the mittai.

Frying Mittai - Heat some oil for deep frying. Take a piping bag with plain round tip, fill it with the dough and make round design over hot oil. Fry till crispy on both sides. Strain this on to some paper towel. 

Soaking in Syrup - Dip this fried mittai in karupatti syrup for 1 to 2 min on each side. Remove and serve hot. 

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How to Make Karupatti Mittai (Stepwise Pictures)

Soaking Rice & Urad Dal

1)Take rice in a bowl. you can use any rice of choice. Personally I use idli rice, but you can use regular rice which we use daily for cooking (Ponni). 

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2)Add in whole urad dal. Wash this really well in multiple changes of water.

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3)Cover with fresh water and allow them to soak for 3 to 4 hours.

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Making Palm Jaggery Syrup

4)Take crushed palm jaggery and water in a sauce pan.

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5)heat this on medium low heat till palm jaggery melts completely.

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6)Strain this mixture through a sieve onto a high side saute pan.

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7)Add in crushed cardamom and dry ginger powder.

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8)Boil it for 6 to 8 mins till it gets little thick and syrupy. You have to keep this syrup warm till you dip the mittai.

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Grinding Batter

9)Now you can see the rice and dal is soaked. It will be swollen and the rice would easily break when pressed.

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10)Strain the rice and urad dal. Take the strained rice and dal in a blender. Sprinkle very little water and make it into a smooth paste.

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11)The batter has to be thick. It doesn't have to be super smooth, the rice will remain little grainy, that is not an issue. 

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12)Take the thick fluffy batter in a bowl.

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13)Add in little salt and baking soda to the batter.

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14)Use a wooden spoon to beat (whip) the batter for 4 to 5 minutes to incorporate some air into the batter. Like medu vada batter, do the float test. Take a small portion from the batter and drop in cold water. If the batter floats then the batter is ready for frying. 

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15)Now the batter looks light and fluffy. It is ready to fry.

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Frying Karupatti Mittai

16)Fill a piping bag with round tip with the batter.

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17)Heat oil for deep frying in a flat bottom frying pan. Take a piping bag with plain round tip, fill it with the dough and make swirl ladder like design over hot oil.

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18)Fry the mittai on medium low heat for 3 to 4 minutes until it gets crispy.

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19)Flip over and fry until golden.

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20)Strain the fried mittai and immerse them in the prepared palm jaggery syrup.

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21)Dip this fried mittai in karupatti syrup for 1 to 2 min on each side.

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22)Remove and serve hot. 

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Expert Tips

• The batter should be thick, so add very little water while grinding.
• When frying you have to fry till the outer crust gets crispy. So it stays crispy even when soaked in syrup.
• Leave it only 2 mins in syrup. It will absorb it quickly.
• This taste best when hot or warm.

Storage & Serving

Karupatti mittai doesn’t stay fresh longer. It is best to consume them immediately as soon as it is made. But if you have any leftover, store them in an air tight container at room temperature for a day. You can heat them in microwave for few seconds before enjoying. 

Also leftover karupatti syrup can be stored in an air tight bottle in fridge and can be used in making karupatti kaapi or to sweeten tea or coffee.

More Sweet Recipes to Try

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If you have any questions not covered in this post and if you need help, leave me a comment or mail me @[email protected] and I’ll help as soon as I can.

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