Undrallu and Devudi Undrallu

A very Happy Ganesh Chaturthi. It is that time of the year when not just at home but every street is decked up to celebrate. And thanks to globalization, Dubai too looks colorful.

Undrallu are a special Naivedyam or Prasad made for Ganesh Chtaurthi, and of course list on Ganapati bappa’s favorites.

Thank you Radhika Kandala for the recipes.

Undrallu

Preparation time: 30-45 mins

Ingredients:

Raw Rice (chawal/biyyam) 1 cup
Bengal gram (chanadal/senaga bedalu) 1/4th cup
Cumin seeds (jeera/jeelakarra) 1 tsp
Salt
Refined cooking oil/ghee 1 tbsp

Method:

Wash and soak the rice for around 2 hours. Drain and dry the rice. Grind the rice coarse and fine ala semolina. Alternatively, coarse and finely ground rice semolina (biyyam rava) can also be used. However when ground fresh at home, the taste is much better.

Add Bengal gram and cumin seeds to the ground rice. For one cup of rice, add 2 cups water and a spoon of oil/ghee and pressure cook to two or 3 whistles. The mixture should be almost cooked and not turn hard and brittle else it wouldn’t mould easily into balls. Thus, ensure it is not overcooked. It might be appropriate to cook on the slow flame for a couple of whistles or around 10 minutes. Set aside to cool.

When at room temperature, roll into balls. Undrallu are done and generally served along with spicy and fresh ginger chutney.

Devudi Undrallu/God’s Undrallu

This is a variation of the undrallu. Devudi undrallu or God’s undrallu as the name suggests are another of Ganesha’s favorite and cooked specially for him. Popular in most parts of Andhra Pradesh, these Devudi undrallu are tied into a muslin cloth and hung over Ganapathi Bappa’s shoulder, dangling below his large ears on each side just before the Visarjan or farewell, so that little Ganesha can munch them as he swims his way to Kailash or his Parents’ abode.

Ingredients:

Rice flour 1 cup
Jaggery 1/4th cup
Milk 1/4th cup

Method:

Grate/powder the jaggery fine.

Mix all the ingredients to a smooth dough ala a chapati/roti dough. Generally fresh milk (unboiled) is used.

Take small lumps and roll into smooth and fine balls. For the prasad/naivedyam generally 21 such undrallu are made.

Serve Ganesha with a few, pack a couple of them for his trip and enjoy the remaining.

For now, let us all usher Vigneshwara into our lives and pray for sweetness galore. Happy Ganesh Chaturthi to you and your family.