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Monday, April 1, 2013

Undrallu


What: Steamed Rice Rava Balls
Where: Andhra
When: Vinayaka Chavithi / Ganesh Chaturthi

This month there is going to be a "blogging marathon" here, in a true sense. There will be a new post everyday of this month, which is truly a feat in my standards. :) I don't blog religiously since I see my blog just as a medium for storing recipes. I blog whenever I feel like doing it, sometimes I am excited to do it continuously at a stretch and sometimes I go kaput for weeks. There were of course earlier marathons where I have posted for 4 weeks per month, making it closer to a real marathon. However honestly I have never blogged for a month nonstop and this seems so exciting and challenging at the same time. Thanks Srivalli for being a gracious host and accommodating my wish for a month long marathon. :))

As usual there were set themes for each week of this marathon and the first one is going to be "Ocassions" - the ocassions being anything ranging from themed parties, holidays to religious festivals.We Hindus don't have any dearth of occasions,  especially the latter kind mentioned earlier and the food associated with it. And speaking of religious celebration, here are undrallu served on Ganesha Chaturthi day in Andhra homes.   

Undrallu served with peanut chutney

Undrallu that we are familiar with is a sweet version. They are mandatory "neivedyam" to Lord Ganesha on the festival day in our family but the intriguing part is that no one gets to taste it. It is just thrown over the roof tops of the houses after the puja - neivdyam (worship and offerings) are done or during the evening so that the birds get to eat them. I haven't able to extract the exact reason behind it from the elders though.
Today's post is another version of undrallu, a savory one and is also a part of neivdyam during the festival at many homes. It is a very simple dish to pull through on a festive day and basically a complete contrast to the dishes that are usually associated with festivals. It is not deep fried or loaded with sugar / jaggery and hence a pleasant addition to the neivedyam galore. Basically a non greasy dish that is not spicy and hence can be served to little ones as well. 

Ingredients: (yield 9 balls)
1/2 cup rice rava (homemade or store-bought)
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 Tbsp chana dal / moong dal
1 tsp ghee
Salt to taste

Method:
* Soak chana dal / moong dal for 30 - 60 minutes and drain.
* Heat ghee in a pan and add cumin seeds. When the color starts to change a shade darker, add the dal and fry for few seconds.
* Add 1 & 1/4 cups water to the pan and bring it to a rolling boil.
Slow down the heat, add rice rava and salt to the boiling water. Mix well so that no lumps are formed.


* Cover and cook until the mixture comes together - cooked and dry ( without being watery). Remove the mixture from fire and let it cool for at least five minutes or until you can handle it with bare hands.

* Wet your hands with water and make lemon sized balls out of the cooked rava mixture. Place the balls in a greased container or on a plate, leaving space between them. Steam cook them for about 10 - 12 minutes. I did mine in a pressure cooker without the weight on.


Apart from the festival day, they would be a healthy addition to  breakfast / brunch list on any day. It is usually served with allam pachadi (ginger chutney) since undrallu are not spicy by themselves. Or a peanut / roasted chickpea chutney works as well. 



Check what other marathoners are cooking during this month long marathon.

Comments

25 comments:

Sandhya Ramakrishnan said...

What a lovely presentation and the BM has made it possible to learn about different traditions and rituals :)

Priya Suresh said...

Undrallu, a must for Ganesh chathurthi na, love those cute balls.

Harini R said...

I also make these for Ganesh Chaturthi but never knew about the tradition of feeding these to the birds!

vaishali sabnani said...

Sumatra, these are really interesting, simple yet something that could be made spicy too...book marked , I love your treasure...

Unknown said...

we prepare it with rice flour.gorgeous looking.

www.mahaslovelyhome.com said...

Very interesting n perfectly done.. love it :)

Suma Gandlur said...

Vaishali, my husband suggests peppercorns though they are not traditionally added. It may be an interesting addition for a spicier version.

Harini, I was talking about the sweeter version. Not the savory ones I posted.

Nisha said...

Very nice neiadyam. The rava used here is raw rice rava right not idli rava

Saras said...

Nice preparation dear. I usually prepare it for sankadakara chathurti..

Gayathri Kumar said...

Love those perfect rounds. And being it savoury, it looks absolutely inviting...

Padmajha said...

I always prefer this savory version.Looks perfect Suma

Srivalli said...

I am so glad you asked Suma..:)..so it's my pleasure that we all could finally get down to do this marathon!..love Undrallu, which is again a must during Ganesh Chavithi..lovely pictures..

veena said...

Looks nice and loved the write up too. Got to learn many new customs.The click is just out of the world!

Nalini's Kitchen said...

We do make it almost the same way and call it as upma kozhukattai...looks tempting and a nice presentation...

preeti garg said...

Perfect festive treat... healthy version

Unknown said...

Love the texture of the laddos :)

Savi-Ruchi said...

we call it akki tari idli in Kannada & we all love it!

Manju said...

First time hearing this, in Tamil Nadu it's kozhukattai, AP it's undrallu but the basic ingredient is same. Nice to know about this.

Nisha said...

Just as Manju said we have the same dish Pidi Kozhukattai and co incidentally this is there in my BM list! :) :) Lovely presentation.

Rajani S said...

Thanks for suggesting this month long marathon suma. It's exciting and an amazing experience.
The kozhukkatai looks nice and the clicks, as well as the tray you have served them are too good!

Pavani said...

We love undrallu as snack in our family. So simple and tasty with just a few ingredients.

The Pumpkin Farm said...

new dish for me, looks very nice and simple to make

Foodiliciousnan said...

We call this pidi kuzhakattai in tamil and make it in oblong egg-like shapes. My little one loves it too. These looks so beautiful. And you're bang on when you say there is no dearth of religious festivities!

Kalyani said...

I keep bookmarking these, but never get to make these. will try out ur version soon, I always thought only channa dal is used, addition of Moong Dal is new to me.
And i loved that pic of the Undrallu with the ganesh moorthi - neat :-)

Kalyani
Sizzling Tastebuds
Event : Summer Splash + Giveaway

Jo said...

Your undrallu look very nice and perfectly shaped. This recipe is actually a deconstructed version of pongal ( with peppercorns) therefore moog dal is used, but for religious ceremonies, chana dal has to be included as it is considered 'Subham'. Therefore a mixture of moong and chanadal is a good idea. The lovely flavorof moong dal and the crunchyness of chanadal makes it delicious. I add green chillies to make it spicy and then it becomes a perfect snack for all time, whether it is a cocktail party or a kids birthday or just an appetizer at dinners, it has always been a big hit.
By the way, the sweet version is called 'Jilledikaaylu'. I just made both for the recent Ganesh festival. :-)
Keep up the good work!!!!!!