BM #104 Day 5 -
Here we have another traditional festival delicacy from the shores of North Andhra even bordering Odisha. It is also known as Sooji Kakara Pitha in Odiya. It is a jaggery coconut filling with a semolina-milk outer crust.
The first time I came across this sweet was when I was talking to my Odiya friend. I later realized that there was an Andhra equivalent.
These cute cousins of boorelu were a pleasure to make and enjoy.
Recipe Source here
Ingredients -
For the Outer cover -
Sooji / Bombay Rava / Semolina 1 cup
Milk 2 cups
For the Filling -
Chana Dal 3/4 cup
Jaggery (powdered) 3/4 cup
Cardamom Powder 1/2 tsp
Method Of Preparation -
To prepare the outer cover -
In a saucepan, boil 2 cups of milk.
Gradually add the semolina to the boiling milk and stir continuously without any lumps.
Reduce the flame to low and let the mixture cook for a couple of minutes or until it thickens.
When the mixture thickens, remove it from heat allow it to cool down.
When the mixture is warm enough to handle, knead it well with lightly greased palms, to make a smooth dough.
Grease your hands with little ghee and divide the dough into 10-12 portions. Knead each portion well. Cover and set aside.
To prepare the filling (Poornam) -
Wash and boil chana dal either in the pressure cooker or on the stove top until it is just tender.
Drain the extra water and let the cooked dal cool. Grind the cooked dal into a fine powder (though it will be a moist one).
Meanwhile heat the grated jaggery with about 1-2 tablespoons of water until it melts.
Pass the jaggery solution through a metal tea strainer and discard the impurities. (Optional)
Add the powdered dal from step 2 to the and cook for a few minutes. It should result in a stiff dough. If it is runny, heat it further and let the extra moisture evaporate. Remove from heat and allow it to cool.
Make about 10-12 lime sized portions of the filling.
To Prepare the Pala Munjalu -
Knead each portion of the outer cover and slowly make a cup shape to accommodate the filling. Place the filling and seal neatly making sure that there are no cracks so that the filling doesn't ooze out.
Cover the prepared ones with a moist cloth so that they don't dry out.
Prepare the rest of the pala munjalu(dumplings) and keep them covered.
Meanwhile heat oil in a kadai/wok and when the oil is hot enough, gently slide 5-6 of these prepared dumplings and fry until they are evenly browned all over.
Remove with a slotted spoon onto paper towels to drain excess oil.
Continue frying the remaining dumplings until they are all fried.
Serve warm as part of a festival meal or snack.
Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#104
Preparation Time 45 minutes
Makes 12
Naaku mee Andhra pindi vantalu choostunte ananadmga vundhi. I didn't realize that the outer layer is cooked as well in this recipe. The classic filling with the crispy outer layer must have tasted wonderful.
Wow so many new andhra dishes for me to learn! Reading the name I thought it was something to do with milk. This one is a real surprise!
Looks so delicious. Lot of interesting dishes and sweets which I have never come across. Thanks for sharing
Yummy palamunjulu looks delicious, i have made kakara pitha earlier but with a different variation. Yours looks nice and different. Good one.
Delicious Palamujalu Harini. My aunt makes these and love the taste of them. Thanks for sharing such a lovely dish.
The Palamujalu ! Well for me the name itself is pretty tough to remember - he he ! But the sweet sounds very delicious . I had really enjoyed eating some traditional ones during and after the meet in Hyderabad .