Kadalai Urundai - Indian Peanut-Jaggery Balls

Kadalai Urundai / Kadalai Mittai

I can assure that anyone born before 1990 will have this kadalai mittai in their childhood favourites list. Those small bite-size dark brown peanut-jaggery balls.. for which we used to drool when we used to go to shops with mom. Those days these candies were not individually wrapped in fancy wrappers.
There used to be one big packet of 1kg weight tied in a rope and hung at the entrance of the shop literally dashing our heads or kept in big glass jars. The shop keeper used to put his hand inside and pick out, count them and wrap it in daily news papers. Those kadali mittais used to taste like the ones which we make now at home.. not very hard.. slightly softer. Most of you would have forgotten how it tasted too as these days people do not make it at home too.

Then came this kadali mittai burfi which was crunchier and added glucose and sugar along with jaggery to make it crunchier. There.. gone the original jaggery flavour! Still, it is one of the least adulterated snack in shops today when compared to those fancy chocolates and sugar candies with artificial flavours or those biscuits and cookies made with all purpose flours, trans fats and preservatives.

I am one of the people who picks the packets of these kadalai mittai burfies which says "kovilpatti kadalai mittai" on the packet even though I do not know how genuine it is.

In my native place, there were sacks of peanuts as they used to cultivate peanuts. My grandfather used to munch a fistful of peanuts and then eat a small piece of jaggery. He never misses this jaggery. He says that it is always good to eat jaggery along with peanuts as the "pitham" in the peanuts is balanced by the jaggery.

Our ancestors were the people who spoke about atoms and nucleus and also about solar system and the planets of the solar family long before the west invented microscope or telescope. We should also remember that they are not insane to stick with jaggery or palm jaggery when they can reach white sugar.

Let us get back to our kitchen and make these simple snack for a  beginning of a better and healthier eating habit for our next generation.

Ingredients:

• Peanuts - 2 cups
• Jaggery (paagu / dark brown) - 1 cup
• Water - 1/4 cup
• Cardamom - 1/2 teaspoon (optional)
• Rice flour - few tablespoon to powder your hands and roll the balls

Procedure:

• Dry roast the peanuts in a pan. Let it cool. Rub them in between your palm to remove the skin from them. Blow away the peanut skins. Clean and keep the peanuts ready.

• Take the jaggery in a small container. Add 1/4 cup of water to this and keep on stove. 
• Once the jaggery is fully dissolved, filter it. Take this jaggery water in a bigger heavy bottom container. Keep this on stove and let it to boil.
• Let the jaggery syrup boil to the soft ball consistency. That is, if you drop the boiling jaggery syrup in a small plate of cold water, the syrup should not dissolve and should be able to be taken out separately and can be rolled to a soft ball. 

• Now add the cardamom powder which is completely optional. I did not add it this time. 
• Add the roasted peanuts and mix well. 
• Now remove the container from heat and slowly start making balls without burning your hand.
• Powder your hands with rice flour and roll the balls. 

• Do not panic if the last few tablespoons of the peanut-jaggery mixture cools down and are not sticking with each other any more. Keep the the pan on low heat and now the mixture should loosen again. 
• Now gather the peanut-jaggery mixture and finish making the balls. 

The yummicious, simple and healthy snack is ready. Some people used to make this for Karthigai Dheepam too. Here, I am making them for this Karthigai Dheepam.. another excuse to eat healthy snack.

For more festival foods click here - Festival Foods

Happy cooking !!