This is a favourite snack of young and old alike . While in Tamilnadu, its called verkadalai urundai or mittai , its North Indian version is famously called chikki. While its available in most shops and supermarkets , it can be made at home easily. This is a healthy wholesome snack ,unlike the other processed packaged snacks available in the market. These are also made at homes,during karthigai festival in South Indian homes. Groundnuts are excellent for growth and development in children .They are great to keep the skin and hair healthy.
This toffee or urundai can be made from other nuts like cashew nuts, almonds, gingelly seeds, puffed bengal gram dal or pottukadalai.
Recipe taken from Cook and See Part – 2.
Ingredients
- Roasted Groundnuts (without skin ) 4 cups,
- Jaggery 1½ cups,
- Water 1 ladle / karandi or 1/2 cup,
- Coconut pieces chopped small 1 cup(optional).
Method
- In a deep frying pan or thick bottomed kadai,add water and boil.
- When the water boils add jaggery. It will dissolve in water and starts boiling . Once it bubbles up, add coconut pieces into the syrup.
- Cook till it gets to hard ball consistency.
- Take a little water ( 2 cups), in small bowl and drop a little jaggery syrup in it.
- If it dissolves , then it has not reached the correct consistency. It should get to the hard ball stage. If the jaggery syrup rolls into a ball and is not loose then the syrup has reached the correct consistency.
- Keep the nuts ready , in a big tray in which the jaggery syrup can be poured.
- Pour the jaggery mixture over the nuts little by little and mix well with a deep ladle.
- Rub rice flour in the hands and roll small balls out of the mixture when its hot. The rubbing of rice flour prevents scorching of the hands.
- If nuts are remaining and need more syrup, add it to the pan in which the syrup is made.
- Heat the little the jaggery sticking to the sides which will melt and mix with the nuts .
- Roll them immediately into small ball.
