Polipurnam burelu/poornalu

Burelu, also called poornalu is a traditional sweet and burelu is sure to be there at any festival or celebration dinner! Burelu are spherical to look at, with a ball of sweetened dal batter with a covering, deep fried in oil.  There are different ways of making this dish. Main ingredient which forms the ball is chana dal or moong dal. Covering is normally unfermented dosa batter.

I am giving the recipe using moong dal. Also, as there is so much awareness about reducing cholesterol and avoiding deep frying, I tried to make the burelu using paniyaram maker. (gunta pongaralu)


Deep fried burelu:

Fried in paniyaram maker:

Veg chopper:                             Idlis powdered and other ingredients:





Moong dall balls made ready for frying:

 

Covering batter:

Burelu being deep fried:

 

 

Burelu being made in paniyaram maker:

Ingredients:

•      1 cup moong dal (split and without cover)
•      1 1/2 cup sugar
•      1 tsp. cardamom powder
•      1/2 cup grated coconut (fresh or dried)

For covering:

•      1/2 cup urad dal (whole or split without cover)
•      1 cup rice
•      Salt to taste
•      1 tbsp. jaggery
•      Oil for deep frying

Directions:

1.      Soak urad dal and rice together for 4 to 5 hours.
2.      Soak moong dal for 2 to 3 hours.
3.      For covering batter, grind urad dal and rice to a fine batter (like dosa batter). Consistency must be slightly thicker than dosa batter (more like pongaralu batter).
4.      Add salt and jaggery and mix well. Set aside.
5.      Drain moong dal and grind without adding any water.
6.      Grease idli plates and place the ground moong dal batter in those.   
7.      Steam the batter in an idli maker.
8.      If you do not have an idli  maker, you can steam the batter in a steamer.
9.      Cook the idlis for about 10 minutes.
10.      When the idlis are cooked, remove the pot from the heat.
11.      Let it cool. Take the idlis and process them in a food chopper/processor till the idlis become powdery.
12.      If you do not have a processor, you may just grate the idlis.
13.      Add sugar and cardamom powder to the powdered moong dal idlis and mix well.
14.      When the ingredients are all mixed well, make them in to one inch diameter balls.

Deep frying method:

1.      Heat oil in a deep pan.
2.      Test whether the oil is hot enough, by dropping a small amount of urad batter in the oil. If the batter starts sizzling, the oil is hot.
3.      Pick up one ball at a time, dip it in the covering batter and drop it carefully in to the hot oil. Make sure you do not drop any extra batter along with the ball. Otherwise, you end up having spherical burelu with lot of extra ends!
4.      Keep stirring in hot oil and when the burelu are uniformly brown remove them from the oil and place them on paper tissue, so that extra oil is removed.

Alternate method:

1.      Heat paniyaram maker till it is very hot.
2.      Spray or spread a little bit of oil.
3.      Place the moong dal balls dipped in covering in each of the molds.
4.      Drop a drop of oil on each of the molds. Cover and cook for a minute or two.
5.      Check if you can lift each of the balls up. If so, flip the balls.
6.      Cover and cook for a few minutes more.
7.      Tasty and less oily burelu are ready to serve.
8.      You can happily eat burelu without feeling guilty!!

Serve with either melted or semi solid ghee (clarified butter).