Pottukadalai Urundai

Pottukadalai Urundai is a simple snack made with roasted gram dal and jaggery. It's one of those olden day snacks we still love to eat even now. This is mostly made during Karthigai Deepam but I make it off and on whenever I feel like having something sweet and crunchy. It takes just 15 to 20 minutes and no big preparations also.

It's crunchy when you bite and slightly chewy inside which is what I like most. The flavor of jaggery mixed with cardamom gives a nice taste. We used to have this during school time when snacks were all homemade and fresh. This is much better than eating store biscuits or chips, and also very easy to make at home.

Jump to:

• About Pottukadalai Urundai
• Pottukadalai Urundai Ingredients
• How to make Pottukadalai Urundai Recipe Step by Step
• Expert Tips
• Serving and Storage
• FAQS
• 📖 Recipe Card

About Pottukadalai Urundai

Pottukadalai Urundai is a very traditional South Indian sweet that uses just fried gram and jaggery as main ingredients. Sometimes little cardamom is added for flavour. It is one of the easiest sweets with no deep frying or much effort. Just mix the syrup and shape into balls, that's all.

The taste is nice sweet with light crunch and mild cardamom flavour. When it cools down, it becomes slightly chewy but still stays crisp to bite. If the jaggery is cooked correctly, it will hold shape and stay good for days. This sweet is perfect for evening snack or even small kids can have.

Some people add sukku powder or little ghee for extra taste and digestion. But even without all that, the plain version tastes too good. You can even skip rolling and break it like kadalai mittai. That also will taste same and easy for kids to bite.

I usually make this when I want to finish off small jaggery pieces. My kids like it more than murukku sometimes. And it doesn't need much effort also, so I make it often when I get time in evenings.

Above all, fried gram dal or pottukadalai as we call it in tamil is healthy and is a good weight gaining ingredient especially for kids. Therefore we can make it more often and store it. For instance we can make these balls the previous day and send it for kids snack box.

Karthigai Deepam is festival of lights, celebrated in the Tamil month of Karthigai. It is celebrated during the month of Karthigai (November-December). As a result the festival named 'Karthigai' after the tamil month and 'Deepam' is lights.

Pottukadalai Urundai Ingredients

• Pottukadalai - I just used the regular chutney dal we always have at home. It should be crisp and clean, that's enough. No need to roast or anything, just use as is.
• Jaggery - I made it using paagu vellam, it gives good binding and also tastes really nice. If you don't have that, normal jaggery also works - just melt and strain it once to remove any dirt.
• Cardamom powder - I used freshly crushed elakkai, gives such a lovely smell to the sweet. Adds nice flavour too.
• Ghee - Just a little to grease hands while rolling. It helps to shape the balls easily and gives a small shine also.

Why this Recipe works

• This recipe needs just a few basic ingredients from the kitchen.
• It is simple to make, only the jaggery syrup needs some care.
• There is no frying, still turns out tasty and crunchy.
• It keeps well for days and makes a healthy snack.
• This is beginner-friendly and budget-friendly too.

Similar Recipes

• Rava appam
• Karupatti pori urundai
• Chocolate pori urundai
• Nel pori urundai
• Instant nei appam
• Thinai appam

How to make Pottukadalai Urundai Recipe Step by Step

1.First, measure jaggery, add it to a pan, add water and mix it well.

2.Heat it up for 2 minutes, let jaggery dissolve. Strain to remove impurities.

3.Measure fried gram dal and keep it ready. Heat up jaggery syrup, let it bubble and become thick.

4.Next is consistency check : Keep a seperate plate ready filled with little water. Take a drop of jaggery syrup and put it in water, it should stand firm and not dissolve as shown here. It should form a hard ball when you roll it with your fingers.

5.Switch off. After that, add cardamom powder,fried gram dal and mix well. Mix such that jaggery is evenly coated. Let it become warm enough to handle with hands.

6.I used my measuring spoon to scoop out even sized balls. After few minutes, finally scoop and then roll using your palms.  Cool down and store in airtight container.

Pottukadalai urundai is ready. Serve as a snack.

Expert Tips

• Jaggery Cleaning - If using normal jaggery, always strain after melting to remove mud or dust. Else the texture won't be nice.
• Jaggery Consistency - This is the key. Wait till it reaches hard ball stage. When you drop a bit in water, it should form a firm ball and make a "takk" sound when bitten.
• Be Quick - After adding fried gram dal, you have to roll it into balls fast. Else the syrup will start to harden and it'll be tough to shape.
• Shaping Balls - If the mixture becomes hard before rolling all, just heat it slightly to melt and continue. But don't overheat else it will become brittle.
• Greasing Hands - Don't forget to grease your hands with ghee before rolling. It makes the process easier and adds slight shine too.

Serving and Storage

Serve Pottukadalai Urundai as an evening snack or pack in snack box. Tastes yum with tea or even plain as it is. Can be made during festive seasons too when you want something quick and traditional. Store leftover in a dry airtight container. It stays good for about 4-5 days.

FAQS

1.My jaggery syrup is too runny, what to do?

Keep boiling for a few more mins till it thickens. Do the water test to check - it should form a hard ball when dropped in water.

2.Can I skip cardamom?

Yes you can. But cardamom gives that nice traditional flavor, so I usually add.

3.Why I am not able to make balls?

Maybe the syrup didn't reach right stage. Or you waited too long after mixing. You must be quick while shaping.

4.Can I replace jaggery?

This sweet is usually made with jaggery only. Sugar won't give the same flavor or binding.

5.How long it keeps well?

Stays good in airtight jar for more than a week. Just make sure to cool completely before storing.

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