Sunnundalu ~ Urad Dal Laddoo

Sunnundalu (sunni-undalu meaning balls made of urad dal / minapappu) is a traditional dessert from the Indian state of Andhra. Its high protein value makes it a divine desert for pregnant women and growing kids. Recently, I had attended a baby shower and had taken these home-made laddoos for would be mom. Believe me, sunnandalu had stood out among all the sweet dishes which were presented to the lady.

For this, the dry roasted urad dal is ground to fine sand like texture and mixed with ground sugar, cardamom powder, ghee, and then shaped into balls. I prefer adding little raw rice to this which reduces the stickiness of the urad dal, and the addition of roasted chana dal enhances the flavor.
So, get ready to indulge in these sweet delicacies.

Ingredients

1 cup minapagullu / black gram lentil (without husk)
1 tbsp raw rice
2 tbsp roasted chana dal (optional)
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup ghee/clarified butter

Method

• Dry roast lentils, raw rice, roasted chana dal separately on medium low flame till deep brown or until you get a nice aroma. Keep stirring otherwise there is risk of burning, which leads to a bitter taste. Be patient, will take around 15-20 minutes. Remove from heat and let it cool.
• Make fine sand like powder of roasted and cooled lentils, rice, and set aside.
• Blend the sugar to a fine powder and keep aside. 
• Heat ghee till it melts. Do not over heat. 
• Now mix together lentil-rice powder and powdered sugar in a wide plate. 
• Slowly add hot ghee and keep mixing with hand, till the mixture holds together (careful, you may burn yourself with the hot ghee). Ghee should be just enough to hold the shape but not drip while making balls.
• Shape the mixture into lime sized balls.
• Store these sunnundalu in an air tight container.

Note:

• Shelf life of sunnundalu is 2-3 weeks in an air tight container.
• The lentil-rice powder can be stored in an air tight container for almost 2 months. Mix powdered sugar, melted ghee and it is ready to shape into your favorite balls whenever your heart desires.