Bellam Undrallu recipe with step by step photos.

On the auspicious day of Vinayaka Chathurthi, the delectable dessert known as bellam undrallu is prepared in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. During this event, bellam undrallu is offered to God Ganesha as nivedyam. Vinakaya Chathurthi is tomorrow, so we have already begun preparing for the event. Today, I'm going to share the recipe for the South Indian dessert bellam undrallu.

What is Vinayaka Chathurthi

Vinayaka Chathurthi is a Hindu festival celebrated in India. The festival Vinayaka Chathurthi commemorates the Hindu god Ganesha (also spelled Ganesh), who travels to Earth once a year from his celestial home. Ganesh Chathurthi or vinayaka Chaviti are other names for Vinayaka Chathurthi.

All Hindus in India place miniature clay statues of God Vinayaka in their homes' pooja rooms on this auspicious day, and larger statues will be placed in public in apartments and next to temples in huge tents.

In addition to rituals and the offering of Ganesha's favourite delicacies, such as modak, laddu, undrallu, etc., Vedic hymns from sacred texts like the Ganesh Upanishad are chanted.

At the conclusion of the event, the idols are moved to nearby waterways by large procession, which is accompanied by drumming, chanting, and dancing. The Ganesha idol is drowned there as part of a ritual that represents Ganesha's return to his home kailsa for the reunion with his parents Shiva and Parvati.

About - Bellam Undrallu

Bellam Undrallu, a rice-based South Indian sweet, is made especially for Vinayaka Chathurthi celebrations in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh.

The three main ingredients are rice flour, jaggery, and ghee. Bellam Undrallu is sometimes made with rice rava rather than rice flour. A little flavor-enhancing cardamom powder and a few dry fruits that have been sautéed in ghee can be added to make it extra exceptional.

A few years ago, I had my first taste of bellam undralluo at the lunch provided at the airport staff's vinayaka chathurti celebrations in Mangalore. Small rice balls cooked in a sweet, rich sauce resembling ada pradhaman from Kerala. I asked our pals about the dish and received a general idea about the dessert. Later, I made this recipe and received the same same flavor as I had previously.

Bellam undrallu preparation is fairly easy; just carefully follow the instructions and give it a shot at home.

Making bellam undrallu begins with making the undrallu dough. This dough is made by mixing rice flour, a little salt, and extremely hot water. Small, uniform-sized balls are made from thick, well-kneaded dough. These balls will be cooked in boiling hot water, similar to how pidi is. Then, cardamom powder, ghee, and jaggery syrup will be used to flavor the undrallu. Once the undrallu reaches a semi-thick consistency, we can serve it with garnishes like ghee-fried cashews and raisins.

Bellam Undrallu - Expert's tips

I believe the bellam undrallu is softer, tastier, smoother, and melt in your mouth when it is prepared with finely ground ready-made roasted rice flour. Therefore, we will use the toasted rice flour method in this dish. This method is simple and quick. But rice rava or raw rice batter can also be used to make bellam undrallu.
Bellam Undraloo is traditionally prepared by boiling in hot water. However, if the rice balls are not prepared to the proper consistency and temperature, they will melt and combine with the water. You can steam-cook the undrallu before adding the jaggery syrup to prevent making this mistake. The conventional approach has been described in this post. however, mistakes might happen.
Make smooth, shiny balls out of the dough and thoroughly knead it if you want to follow the traditional procedure. If the consistency is correct, these balls will bounce back.
The hue of bellam undrallu can range from a light to a dark shade, depending on the color of the jaggery.
The gravy of bellam undrallu is thickened by adding a small amount of rice flour diluted in water. Never perform this step prior to cooking the undrallu. After adding the rice flour water, it will soon thicken, leaving the undrallu undercooked.
You can make Undrallu vegan by omitting the ghee. There won't be a significant variation in flavor or taste.

Other recipes to try during Ganesh Chathurthi

Poha chivda

Rava laddu

Konda kadalai sundal

Coconut laddu

Bellam Undrallu | Andra Bellam Undrallu Recipe | How To Make Bellam Undrallu for Vinayaka Chathurthi

Rice balls in sweet jaggery syrup

Preparation time: 10 minutes | Cooking time: 15 minutes | Total time: 25 minutes

Ingredients

3/4 cup roasted finely grounds rice flour
3/4 to 1 cup jaggery
1 teaspoon ghee
1/2 tsp cardamom powder
A pinch of salt
1 cup + 1 cup water

Bellam Undrallu preparation with step by step photos

I use 3/4 cup of smooth, roasted rice flour to make bellam undrallu.
In a thick bottomed pan, mix salt with one cup of water. Although bellam undrallu is a sweet delicacy, adding a little salt will help balance its taste. On a high flame, allow the water to boil.
When the water has reached a rolling boil, reduce the flame to low and add the rice flour gradually and stir thoroughly.
The rice flour will start to thicken right away. When it forms a mass, turn off the heat.
Put a lid on the pan and allow it to cool for a while.
With your hands, thoroughly knead the undrallu dough until it becomes a soft, smooth dough.
Then use your hands to form tiny, even, smooth balls out of a small amount of dough. Make comparatively smaller balls because the dough will expand in size when cooked.
In a saucepan, Heat up one cup of water. Incorporate one teaspoon of ghee. The use of ghee is optional; if you want a vegan bellam undrallu, omit it. Wait until it boils while keeping the pan over a high flame.
Reduce the temperature once the water has reached a rolling boil, then carefully add the rice balls. Cover the pan with a lid and cook the rice balls until they are sufficiently cooked while maintaining a medium-low flame.
Reserve the last ball for making the thickener.
In the meantime, in a sauté pan, combine 3/4 cup of jaggery with three tablespoons of water.
Turn off the flame once the jaggery has completely melted, and then set aside.
Open the pan and pour jaggery once the rice balls are cooked and the liquid has turned a light white hue. Using a fork or toothpick, you can check. Simply stick a toothpick into the balls; if they remain firm, the rice has been cooked to perfection. As jaggery usually contains impurities, I would advise filtering the syrup made from it.
Add half a teaspoon of cardamom powder and boil the rice balls once more until they have absorbed the jaggery's sweetness. When rice balls are sweetened, they take on the hue of jaggery.
One rice ball was set aside for the liquid thickener. Add three tablespoons of water, then thoroughly combine the rice balls.
Pour this rice batter into the prepared undrallu while turning up the flame.
Turn off the burner when the undallu syrup reaches a thick consistency. Bellam Undrallu can be served either simple or with additional garnishes like ghee-fried cashews and raisins.
Enjoy.