Sweet Undrallu (Bellam Undrallu)

Sweet Undrallu Recipe – Classic South Indian steamed sweet dumplings made with rice rava, jaggery, coconut and cardamom! An easy Naivedyam recipe for Ganesh Chaturthi!

What are sweet undrallu?

Sweet Undrallu are a traditional Andhra (South India) style steamed sweet dumplings, also known as Bellam Undrallu or Teepi Undrallu which means steamed sweet dumplings. These dumplings are sweet and delicious, hold cultural and religious significance in Andhra Pradesh.

These Undrallu are essentially steamed rice rava dumplings that are flavored with jaggery (a type of unrefined sugar), grated coconut, and cardamom. They are typically shaped into small, round dumplings and offered as a naivedyam or prasadam (a sacred offering to a deity) during religious rituals and festivals such as Ganesh Chaturthi or Vinayaka Chavithi.

These sweet dumplings are not only delicious but also hold religious and cultural significance in Andhra Pradesh. They are a delightful and wholesome dessert enjoyed by people of all ages, especially during festivals and celebrations.

Here is a list of Ganesh Chaturthi Recipes if you want.

Why you’ll love this recipe:

Super easy to make and doesn’t require lots of ingredients!

Perfect for any celebration or festival!

These are soft, delicious and healthy!

Ingredients & Substitutions:

Rice Rava – Rice rava is broken raw rice. You can get it from any Indian store or can it make it easily at home using raw rice. Here is a recipe for homemade rice rava. It can also be substituted with wheat rava / godhuma rava or semolina. Here are the recipes for wheat rava sweet undrallu and semolina sweet undrallu.

Moong Dal – Moong dal is split mung beans, these can be substituted with chana dal. You will need to soak chana for at least 30 minutes though.

Jaggery – Jaggery (Bellam) is a kind of unrefined cane sugar. You can get it from any Asian store or online. If you can’t find jaggery, it can be replaced with white sugar or palm sugar.

Coconut – It adds a wonderful taste and flavor to the sweet dumplings. You can use fresh, frozen or desiccated coconut in this recipe. If you don’t want coconut, you can omit it.

Cardamom – Use freshly ground cardamom or store-bought powdered cardamom in this recipe. Do not skip adding cardamom, it adds a wonderful aroma to the undrallu.

Serving suggestions:

Serve these bellam undrallu as is, either warm or at room temperature.

Drizzle some melted ghee over them before serving for added richness and flavor.

If you prepare undrallu as an offering for vinayaka chavithi, you can distribute them as prasad to friends and family.

These can be a part of the festive platter alongside other traditional dishes such as Pala Undrallu, Bellam Thalikalu and Modak.

Storage suggestions:

Consume them within the same they made. If you want to store them for longer period of time, store them in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 2 days.

Variations:

You can add a handful of coconut pieces along with grated coconut for extra coconut flavor and crunch.

Roast some cashew pieces in little ghee and add them to the undrallu mixture for added crunch and richness.

Tips & Notes:

Water ratio is very important to make perfect bellam undrallu every time. Always use 3 cups of water for every cup of rice rava.

Try to shape them into uniform sizes to ensure even cooking. This helps them cook evenly and prevents some from being undercooked or overcooked.

To prevent undrallu from breaking, avoid over-cooking and over-steaming and use the right amount of water to cook the rava. And tightly roll the cooked mixture into round balls before steaming.

Allow the undrallu to cool for a few minutes before serving. This helps them set and develop their texture.

FAQs

Step by step instructions:

Soak the moong dal in water for 15 minutes. Drain and set aside.

Crush the cardamom seeds and set aside.

Heat a teaspoon of ghee in a heavy bottomed pan. Add the drained moong dal and fry for a minute.

Then add water (1 and ½ cups) and powdered jaggery to it and mix well.

Let the jaggery dissolves completely.

After the jaggery melts, allow it to a rolling boil.

Once it comes to a boil, add the rice rava, coconut and cardamom powder. Combine well and close with a lid. Reduce the flame to low and let it cook completely. Stir occasionally.

Switch off the heat and leave it aside to cool.

Grease your hands with ghee and roll the mixture into round shape balls.

Arrange them on greased idli plates and steam cook for 7 – 8 minutes.

Remove from the flame and allow it to cool. Serve!

You might like these ganesh chaturthi recipes:

• Uppu Undrallu
• Poornam Kudumulu
• Bellam Kudumulu
• Ulundu Kozhukattai
• Paal Kozhukattai
• Putnala Pappu Modakam
• Chocolate Modak
• Oats Modak

How to make bellam undrallu recipe below: