Pappulo Undrallu – Vinayaka Chavithi/Ganesh Chaturthi Naivedyam

Ganesh Chaturthi (or Vinayaka Chavithi as it is called in Andhra Pradesh) is almost upon us. As is the case every year, preparations in my home have already begun. I normally use the weekend preceding major festivals to make a list of what needs to be done and one of the things is to plan the naivedyam and general menu. This gives me enough time to plan what, when and how much to get of things I need. This time is no different. In fact, on the day before the pooja, I will be in a meeting till almost 10 PM and so advance preparation is even more essential!

Vinayaka Chaturthi requires certain special items on the menu and last year I posted the recipes for Undrallu (also known as Kudumulu) and  Pala Undrallu.

Today I am posting the recipe for another sweet variation called Pappulo Undrallu. In this variation, the steamed rice flour balls are cooked in a mix of mashed pesara pappu (moong dal or husked green gram) and jaggery. They taste great and you can see why Ganapati loves them. 🙂

Cooking Time: 60 Mins

Serves: 4

Ingredients

1. Pesara Pappu or Moong Dal – 1 Cup
2. Grated Jaggery – 1.5 Cups
3. Sugar – 2 tbsp
4. Rice Flour – 1/2 Cup
5. Ghee – 2 tsp
6. Green Cardamom – 4
7. Water – 1.25 Cup

Method to Make the Pappu

1. Soak the pesara pappu in 2 cups water for 15 minutes.
2. Pressure cook till the pappu is completely mashable.
3. Mash the pesara pappu and set aside.
4. Add 1/3 cup of water to the the jaggery.
5. Heat the mix till the jaggery is melted.
6. Add the mashed pappu and 0.25 cup of water.
7. Peel the cardamom and crush the seeds to a powder.
8. Add the cardamom powder to the sweetened pappu.
9. Mix well.
10. Turn off the heat.

Method to Make the Undrallu

1. Mix 2/3 cup of water with 1 tsp water and 2 tbsp sugar.
2. Bring the water to a boil.
3. When the water starts to boil, turn the heat to low.
4. Add the rice flour and mix well.
5. Cook over low heat till all the water is absorbed and the batter forms a soft ball.
6. Take off the heat and set aside for 10 minutes.
7. When the batter is cool, make small marble-sized balls.
   1. Use a little ghee to grease your hands.
   2. Make small marble-sized balls.
8. Place the undrallu in a dry steel vessel.
9. Melt the remaining ghee and pour over the undrallu.
10. With a gentle hand mix well so that all undrallu are coated with ghee.
11. Cover the vessel.
12. Steam the undrallu for 8 to 10 minutes.
13. Let the undrallu cool for 10 minutes.

Putting Together the Pappulo Undrallu

1. Add the steamed undrallu to the sweetened pesara pappu mix.
2. Bring the pappu to a boil and boil the mix for about 5 minutes.
3. Turn off the heat.