Undrallu with Ginger Chutney

Undrallu is a savoury steamed rice ball, which is offered as a neivedyam during Ganesh Chaturthi. These taste like upma made with rice rawa. Undrallu is an Andhra name for these steamed rice balls. Undrallu goes well with ginger chutney, which taste like the kerala Inji puli. When offering to Lord Ganesha, only Undrallu is offered as neivedyam.

Ingredients for Undrallu

1 cup - Rice ( Basmati , sona masuri or long grain rice )
2 tbsp - Chana dal, washed
1/2 tsp - Cumin seeds / Jeera
2 tbsp - Grated fresh coconut
1/2 tsp - Salt
2 cups - Water

Method

1 ) Wash rice well and drain all the water. Spread on a paper napkin to dry out all the water. Rice grains have to be fully dry. It could take about one hour or so.

2 ) Grind the rice grains in a blender/ grinder to a rawa consistency.

3 ) Place a saucepan on the stove with water, chana dal, cumin and salt. Bring the water to a boil, reduce the heat to a medium heat, pour in the rice rawa slowly into the boiling water and keep stirring. Stir till all the water is absorbed by the rice rawa. Add grated coconut and stir in well. Turn off the stove, cover with a lid.

4 ) After 15 minutes, spread on a lighlty greased plate. With wet hands make small balls. Sprinkle some water if rawa is too hard or breaking.

5 ) Use a idli steaming stand to steam these rice balls. Place rice balls as shown in picture below.

6 ) Place idli stand in a pressure cooker with little water to steam. Cover the pressure cooker and steam for 10 minutes.

Serve hot with ginger chutney

Ginger Chutney

This is a chutney that is a bit sweet with the jaggery, tangy with the tamarind, spicy with the chilies and ginger. A chutney that goes well with dosa, idli, vada or Mysore bonda

Ingredients

3 '' inch piece - Ginger, chopped to small pieces

1 tbsp - Coriander seeds

1 tbsp - Urad dal

1/4 tsp - Methi seeds / Uluva

4 to 6 - Dry red chili

2 tbsp - Jaggery, grated

2 flakes - Garlic, chopped ( optional )

1 lime size - Tamarind, seedless

Salt to taste

Seasoning

1/2 tsp - Mustard seeds

1/2 tsp - Urad dal

1/2 tsp - Chana dal

1/4 tsp - Jeera / Cumin seeds

2 pinch - Hing

1 sprig - Curry leaf

Method

1 ) In a kadai, pour 1 tbsp oil, add urad dal, coriander seeds, methi and fry lightly on low heat. Add chilies and fry lightly. Drain the fried ingredient out of the oil, transfer into a blender. Run the blender and powder the ingredients.

2 ) In the same kadai with oil, add ginger, garlic and fry lightly, till the raw smell goes away. Doesn't have to be crisp. Transfer ginger & garlic into the blender.

3 ) Soak tamarind in little water and make it soft. Add tamarind & jaggery into the blender. Grind all the ingredients together to a smooth paste. Add salt to taste and very little water to just make the blender move.

4 ) To season, on a low heat, heat oil in a kadai, add mustard seeds and let it pop. Then add urad dal, chana dal and fry it lightly. Then add jeera, hing and curry leaves. Now add ground chutney and mix in well.

Serve with Undrallu.

Latha of The 'yum' blog is hosting festival cooking event for Ganesh chaturthi. Sending Undrallu as an entry for this event.