Uppu Urundai

My 167th recipe, "Uppu Urundai", is a healthy South Indian breakfast / evening snack. "Uppu Urundai" literally translates to Salted Balls in Tamil. However it is anything but a simple salted ball. Uppu Urundai is steamed rice balls flavored wonderfully with Indian seasonings.

Though it is not one of my favorites, it is one of my mom's, MIL's and RK's favorite. My mom generally used to make this as a healthy evening snack. My MIL however makes it as a weekend breakfast. Whether you make it for breakfast or whether you make it as a evening snack, one thing is for sure. It is a healthy dish which your whole family will enjoy.

While we call it as Uppu Urandai in our household, it is also frequently called as Pidi Kozhukattai or Uppu Kozhukattai or Upma Kozhukattai by others. I have already posted a recipe under the name Pidi Kozhukattai, which is a shortcut version using store bought rice flour. Even though the shortcut version is delicious, it doesn't compare in taste to this uppu urundai which is done the traditional way 🙂

Uppu Urundai

Uppu Urundai

Revathi Palani

Uppu Urundai is an easy and healthy South Indian breakfast recipe. It is steamed rice ball flavored with Indian seasonings. Goes well with a spicy chutney.

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Prep Time 3 hours hrs

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 3 hours hrs 15 minutes mins

Course Breakfast

Cuisine Indian

Servings 15

Ingredients

  

• 1 Cup Rice
• ¼ Cup Grated coconut
• ¾ tsp Salt (adjust per taste)
• 1 tsp Oil
• ¼ tsp Mustard
• 1 tsp Chana Dal
• 1 tsp Broken Urad Dal
• 1 tsp Jeera
• 1 Dry red chilli
• 1 sprig Curry leaves
• 1 large pinch Asafoetida

Instructions

 

• First wash and soak the rice in sufficient water for a minimum of 3 hrs. You can leave it to soak overnight as well.
  
  
   
• Then transfer the rice to a mixie/blender, add sufficient water and grind it into a coarse batter. The batter should be slightly thin.
  
  
   
• Now add the coconut, salt to the batter and pulse for a couple of times until everything is blended well. Keep it aside.
  
  
   
• Now heat a pan with oil and add the mustard seeds. Once the mustard cracks, add the chana dal and broken urad dal. When the dal starts to turn golden brown, add the jeera, dry red chilli, curry leaves, asafoetida and continue to saute until the dals are golden brown.
  
  
   
• Now, add the batter to the pan and stir continuously until the water evaporates from the batter and it comes to a ball consistency. Turn off the flame and let it slightly cool down until you will be able to handle it with your hands.
  
  
   
• Once it is cool enough, make small sized balls. Steam the balls for 10 - 15 mins until they are cooked through.
  
  
   
• Serve hot with tomato thokku or any spicy chutney.

Notes | FAQ

- While making the balls, roll them gently. If you roll the balls tightly, then the balls will turn out hard after steaming.

- You can oil your palms if the batter is sticking while rolling the balls.

- Do not over steam the balls, they would turn out hard.

- The steaming time would depend on the size of the balls, stove settings and quality of rice. If you are unsure, after 10-12 mins of steaming, try breaking one of the balls and check if the center is cooked. If it is still not cooked, steam for a few more mins.