Ulundhu Kali-(உளுந்து களி -Tirunelveli Style )Urad Dhal Halwa

Ulundhu Kali(உளுந்து களி )-This is the authentic recipe of Ulundhu Kali/Ulutham kali in Tirunelveli style.Ulundhu Kali is nothing but a thickened halwa like sweet which is a part of the Tamil tradition.It is usually prepared and offered to girls who attain puberty and to women when they deliver and breastfeed.This is prepared with whole urad dhal, palm jaggery and gingelly oil(also called as sesame oil or till oil).This recipe is preferred for girls and women as it is said to strengthen bones and it is an amazing source of calcium(Urad Dhal & Sesame Oil).You may ask me how come so much of oil is healthy.Gingelly oil is known to reduce blood pressure, lower cholesterol, add to the beauty of skin & hair, improve bone quality, prevent cancer, improve oral health. Did you find anything harmful above?No?Right?In the recent days, due to extreme greed and commercial motives, we have been blindfolded with too many controversies on our traditional foods and most of our traditional oils (Sesame Oil & Coconut Oil) were blamed for cholesterol just to promote other oil sales.If you read through the very recent researches all of them have been proved wrong and these oils & ghee have been declared healthy and they contribute to only good heart and not BP.

When I keep mentioning that I use ghee to toss everything people ask me,”Won’t you gain weight?”.My answer would be always weight gain / loss is not just about food but about a lot of factors like genetics, lifestyle, your body metabolism, food habits etc. Adding a spoon of ghee or dry frying in oil wouldn’t lead to any issues if you lead a healthy lifestyle and have the genetic history of any related medical conditions. It is not only about the quantity or the ingredients of the food.You needn’t be guilty to enjoy this as it is just loaded with nutrients.Ulunthu Kali is usually prepared in South Indian houses when the girl attains puberty and it is continued every month during menstruation.My mom & grandmother ensured that we had this without fail and mom made when I was pregnant & lactating.It gives you so much of strength.Now we provide it to my son regularly.I find it extremely tasty, yummy and the right source of nutrition. Women can escape osteoporosis with such natural foods rather than relying on supplements.This can be given to boys and all age group people.(Not a branded girls food ;P) This is an excellent source of calcium for babies above 1 year.You can make it once in two months and offer a scoop daily(for 3-5 days).Store it in a cool place or refrigerate and reheat for consumption.Mom made this for us during her visit last week and I wanted to record her recipe on my blog as it is the best.Read below to know more about this amazing recipe.

Ulunthu Kali Recipe:

Ingredients:

• Whole Urad Dhal(White/black)-3/4 cup
• Raw Rice-2 tbsp
• Palm Jaggery-2 cups
• Gingelly Oil-1/4 cup
• Water-5 cups
• 

Procedure:

1.Measure and keep all ingredients ready.

2.In a mixer jar grind urad dhal and raw rice to a fine powder.Sieve it if it is coarse.

3.Add the palm jaggery (grated or powdered) to water and dissolve it well.

4.Now filter the dissolved palm jaggery syrup to the flour and mix them without lumps.You can use the mixer to do this.

5.In a heavy bottomed pan add half of the oil and heat it in low flame.

6.Carefully pour the palm jaggery+flour mixture to the pan and carefully stir it without lumps.

7.Cook it in medium flame by occasional stirring.Add the remaining oil then and there to enable smooth stirring.

8.In few minutes it will begin to thicken.From now on continuously keep stirring till it gathers into a mass and begins to ooze out the oil.

9.You can collect the oil simultaneously and cook for five to seven more minutes in low flame.More than 80% of the oil would ooze out.

10.Switch off the flame and roll into balls after it cools.Ulunthu Kali is ready

11.Store in an airtight container.

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My Observations:

The actual recipe of ulunthu kali suggests using only black whole urad dhal & palm jaggery(karuppu ulunthu & karuppatti).You can replace with white urad dhal and jaggery too.

Don’t alter the ratios mentioned above in ulunthu kali recipe.

It is soft and gooey like halwa but slightly thicker in consistency.

Cook only on low/medium flame.

The colour depends on the urad dhal and palm jaggery.

The above images are from two different attempts.So there may be differences.

The measurements shown in images are just for clicking an image.Please follow the measurements under ingredeints.

You can use the oil that gets oozes out for tempering or greasing.

Mixing the palm jaggery syrup with urad dhal without lumps and continuous stirring are two essential and crucial steps in this recipe.

Initially the stirring and the procedure might leave you scared.But once it is done for the first time, you will easily get hold of the procedure.

This can be given to babies above one year.

Ensure to have introduced all items before and eliminate allergies.

Always have a word with your doctor before introducing any new food to babies

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