Ellurundai is the thamizh (tamil) word for ‘Sesame balls’. It’s probably the simplest of all things munch-able. There are two ingredients: Jaggery and Sesame seeds. That’s it. Although, several versions of it exist. For instance, you can made kadalai urundai or ‘Peanut Balls’, you can also use Pori or rice crispies to make Pori urundai. Practically any nut can be substituted or used along with sesame seeds, or a combination of different ingredients. Go nuts!
Its sweet and its crunchy and has quite a bite to it. This is because, sugar and jaggery can be tempered in various ways to result in diverse textures. The texture we’re looking for in this one, is candy like.
Sesame seeds are full of iron, magnesium, manganese, copper, and calcium. Women of ancient Babylon ate sesame seeds in honey for youth and beauty, while Roman soldiers ate the mixture for strength and energy. (Sourced from Wikipedia). Jaggery is also rich in iron, and is used extensively in Ayurvedic medicine for treating lung and throat infections.
This is one snack you don’t have to feel too bad to indulge in. And it definetely tastes better than pills!
Ellurundai Makes about 18-20
You will be needing
– 1 1/4 cup Jaggery, grated
– 1/4 cup water
– 1 cup sesame seeds, white or black. You can also mix in various nuts, still tastes good.
– Oil or flour for greasing.
Method
– Dissolve the jaggery and water in a thick bottomed saucepan.
– When it comes to a rolling boil and starts reducing, keep a bowl of water nearby, drop a little bit of the jaggery in it, just a drop, and if it dissolves, it’s still not at the candy temperature. Wait till it hardens in the water, malleable enough to roll into a ball. Then take the ball out of the water and drop it (with some force) on the counter, or a stainless steel plate. If you hear a hard knocking sound, like a marble being dropped, you’re there.
– Turn off the heat, but do not remove the saucepan from the stove.
– Stir in the sesame seeds.
– Take spoonfuls and drop onto a greased plate.
– Once it is cool enough to work with, roll into balls.
– Let it cool completely. Store in an air-tight container.
Enjoy!
Leave a Reply