Ulundhu Kali | Urad dal kali
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Serves: 4
Ingredients
For Kali powder:
  • Whole or Split black urad dal - 1 cup
  • Raw rice - ¼ cup
For unsweetened kali:
  • Kali powder - 1 cup
  • Salt - 1 pinch
  • Water - 3 cups
  • Sesame Oil - 1 tbsp
  • Palm Jaggery - 1 or 2 tbsp
For sweetened kali:
  • Kali powder - 1 cup
  • Palm jaggery - 1 cup plus ½ cup for more sweetness
  • Salt - 1 pinch
  • Water - 3 cups
  • Sesame oil/Nallennai - 1 or 2 tbsp
Instructions
To make kali powder:
  1. Wash 1 cup black urad dal and ¼ cup raw rice separately and sundry or just air-dry.
  2. Fry urad dal in low flame until nice aroma wafts. Do not brown it much. You should be able to break with the back of a ladle and that’s the right time to take it off the stove. If you are using split urad dal, you shall see golden color change in one side. Transfer to a plate.
  3. Then add raw rice to the pan and fry in low flame. Let it fry well but don’t brown it. Slight golden is ok. Fry till it becomes like a snack (Pori arisi) & it is crunchy to bite & eat. Transfer to a plate.
  4. Once cooled, mix both and grind to smooth powder using a dry mixie jar.
  5. Sieve the powder and discard the large particles settled in the sieve.
To make plain kali:
  1. Take one cup powder, add a pinch of salt, add 2 cups water and whisk well without any lumps.
  2. Boil 1 cup water in a heavy bottom vessel.
  3. Once it boils well, add this mix and stir in medium-low flame. Keep stirring until it cooks well.
  4. Once done, it shouldn’t stick to a wet hand. Turn off the stove.
  5. Transfer to a plate, dig a hole in the middle and add jaggery or karupatti and pour sesame oil on top of it. Mix both and dip in it for every kali bite. Yumm!
To make sweetened kali:
  1. Take one cup powder in a pan, add a pinch of salt, add 2 cups water and whisk well without any lumps.
  2. In a saucepan, take 1 cup water, add 1 cup (plus ½ cup if you need more sweetness) grated/broken palm jaggery and bring to boil.
  3. Mix with a spoon until palm jaggery melts completely without any bits.
  4. Using a strainer, strain the palm jaggery syrup to remove any impurities.
  5. Pour this palm jaggery syrup to kali powder mixed water and whisk well.
  6. Place the pan containing the mix in stove in low flame and keep stirring..
  7. Once thickened add gingelly oil now and then and keep stirring continuously..
  8. When u touch with wet hands, it shouldn’t stick.. Switch off and serve immediately..
  9. Kids will love this version .. To me , we can’t eat this more .. Thigattirum.. But my usual version of keeping the sweet as a separate dip can be consumed so much. Both Nilaa & Natchathira love this sweet-mixed method and they call this as chocolate kali :)
Notes
1.If you are making in bulk, use ¼ kg rice for 1 kg urad dal. Sundry, fry and grind in mill.
2.If you are a beginner, I recommend using split black urad dal as one side is white in color, you shall easily see when it turns golden color. In whole black urad dal, there are fair chances to darken it while frying.
3.To make it like halwa, you shall add more sesame oil in intervals while making sweet kali and cook till it leaves the pan, without sticking. In such case, sesame oil dip is not required.
4.For sweetened kali, 1 cup palm jaggery is enough for adults but kids prefer more sweetness and hence add extra half cup.
Recipe by My Healthy Kiddo at https://www.myhealthykiddo.com/ulundhu-kali-recipe/