The beginning of the year means more festivals and more celebrations. This Payatham urundai is a traditional ladoo recipe that is perfect for the upcoming Makar Sankranti festival.
Pasi paruppu laddu needs just 3 main ingredients - moong dal, brown sugar (jaggery), and ghee (nei). We can add nuts and cardamom for flavoring. This moong dal ladoo is kind of a healthier dessert that we can enjoy guilt-free.
Table of contents
Lately, I have been making quite a few ladoo recipes. And when I was deciding what else I can make to add to my list, I realized that I have quite a variety. If you are looking for more ladoo recipes, check these out
Tilgul ladoo / sesame seed laddu.
Policha ladoo / ladoo made with leftover roti
Ladoos are easy to make and perfect for distribution. Indian cuisine has tons of ladoo recipes that are unique to every state. This Payatham urundai is a traditional recipe from Tamil Nadu and a kind of forgotten recipe as well. I have vague memories of eating it back in our village when my patti made it.
It's been a very long time since I tasted this Nei Urundai (another name for this payatham urundai) and I was excited to make this. I made it first during Diwali and ever since then, I have made it thrice already. Pasi paruppu laddu is also protein rich and it is a wonderful choice as after school snack.
Ingredients and substitutes
Check the recipe card at the bottom of the page for exact measurements and printable detailed recipes.
- Moong dal / payatham paruppu - We will be using split yellow moong dal to make this ladoo.
- Brown sugar or jaggery - I have used brown sugar to make my nei urundais as it is convenient. If you only have jaggery, grate it and use it in the recipe. We can also make it with powdered sugar, but the color and taste of the ladoo will be different.
- Ghee or Nei - This is the component that binds the ladoo together. We will also be frying the nuts in the ghee.
- Cashewnut - I have used broken and roasted cashews in my moong dal ladoo. It is optional but nuts add a crunch to the ladoo. We can also use almonds instead.
- Cardamom powder - This is for the added flavor.
Step-by-step process
The first and foremost important step in making payatham urundai is to roast the moong dal / pasi paruppu. We have to fry it on medium flame stirring constantly to make sure the lentils don't burn. Fry the moong dal until it is evenly golden brown (1 & 2).
Let the moong dal cool down until just warm to the touch. Add it to the blender jar/mixie jar and grind it until it is finely powdered (3). A high-power blender will be helpful to grind the lentils to a smooth powder.
Now add the brown sugar/jaggery to the same jar along with the moong dal powder and grind it once again to combine (4).
Heat a small pan and add ghee. When the ghee is hot, add chopped cashews (or almonds) (5). I personally like to chop the nuts into very small pieces as it is easier when forming the ladoo shape.
Pour the ground mixture into a wide plate or bowl (6). I love my tambalam that I brought from India this time. It is so convenient to make bakshanam.
Add the cardamom powder to the mixture (7).
Once the nuts have roasted well, add the ghee and nuts to the ground mixture (8).
Do not add all the ghee at once. We may not need all the ghee. Scoop all the nuts out and save some ghee to add later if we have a hard time shaping the ladoo.
Mix everything well using your hands (9). If the mixture appears dry, add a little more ghee. I like to make a few ladoos and then add ghee as the flour absorbs the ghee at that point.
When the mixture is still warm, start forming tight balls from the mixture (10). Do it when the mixture is still slightly warm as it is easier to form the shape.
Enjoy the ladoos.
Expert Tips
- Always roast the moong dal on low to medium heat. We want to make sure to get an even roasting on the lentils without burning them.
- We can use white sugar or powdered sugar instead of jaggery/brown sugar.
- It is important to grind the jaggery/brown sugar with the moong dal as it helps combine it evenly and thoroughly. Also, the heat from the grinding will make the brown sugar melt lightly and it will help in forming the ladoos.
- If making a large batch of pasi paruppu ladoo, divide the flour mixture into 2 or 3 parts and add ghee to one part at a time, and form ladoos. This way the rest of the flour won't absorb the ghee and dry out.
- Add hot ghee to the moong dal flour/jaggery mixture. This will help combine all the ingredients well and will be helpful in forming the shape.
Storage instructions
What I love about moong dal ladoo is it has a long shelf life. Since there is no milk or any ingredients that will spoil quickly, this payatham urundai can be stored in an airtight container for 2 to 3 weeks.
If planning to store it for a longer period, add a little more ghee than mentioned and it will stay moist and not become dry. This is a great choice of Indian sweets to mail. I also love to make a batch of it during our road trips.
Back when amma used to send rava urundai, she would make a mixture of powdered rava and sugar and pack it in zip lock bags and send it with me. All I had to do was melt ghee and add to the mixture and make urundai. We can do the same for this nei urundai as well.
Frequently asked questions
This would most probably be because there is less ghee/nei. Add more melted and hot ghee to a small batch of flour and quickly form ladoo.
This recipe does not use milk. If you want to reduce the amount of ghee and make ladoos, we can use a little milk. But remember, if using milk, these ladoos have to be consumed very quickly. They will have a short shelf life.
Yes, you can add ground rava to the mixture. We can also mix a couple of lentils like moong dal and chana dal (or besan) and make ladoos.
More traditional sweets
If you made this recipe and liked it, give a star rating on the recipe card or let me know in the comments below. You could also share it with me on Instagram using #MyCookingJourney and tagging me @sandhya.ramakrishnan. You could follow me and my recipes on Facebook |Instagram | Pinterest | twitter
Recipe
Payatham Urundai | Moong Dal Ladoo | Nei Urundai
Equipment
- 1 high power blender
- 1 wide plate or bowl
Ingredients
- 1 cup Moong dal / payatham paruppu Yellow split moong lentil
- 1 Cup Brown sugar / jaggery
- ½ teaspoon Cardamom powder
- 10 Cashewnut chopped finely
- ¼ Cup Ghee / nei
Instructions
- The first and foremost important step in making payatham urundai is to roast the moong dal / pasi paruppu. We have to fry it on medium flame stirring constantly to make sure the lentils don't burn. Fry the moong dal until it is evenly golden brown.
- Let the moong dal cool down until just warm to the touch. Add it to the blender jar/mixie jar and grind it until it is finely powdered. A high-power blender will be helpful to grind the lentils to a smooth powder.
- Now add the brown sugar/jaggery to the same jar along with the moong dal powder and grind it once again to combine.
- Pour the ground mixture into a wide plate or bowl. I love my tambalam that I brought from India this time. It is so convenient to make bakshanam.
- Add the cardamom powder to the mixture.
- Heat a small pan and add ghee. When the ghee is hot, add chopped cashews (or almonds). I personally like to chop the nuts into very small pieces as it is easier when forming the ladoo shape.
- Once the nuts have roasted well, add the ghee and nuts to the ground mixture.
- Do not add all the ghee at once. We may not need all the ghee. Scoop all the nuts out and save some ghee to add later if we have a hard time shaping the ladoo.
- Mix everything well using your hands. If the mixture appears dry, add a little more ghee. I like to make a few ladoos and then add ghee as the flour absorbs the ghee at that point.
- When the mixture is still warm, start forming tight balls from the mixture. Do it when the mixture is still slightly warm as it is easier to form the shape.
- Enjoy the ladoos.
Notes
- Always roast the moong dal on low to medium heat. We want to make sure to get an even roasting on the lentils without burning them.
- We can use white sugar or powdered sugar instead of jaggery/brown sugar.
- It is important to grind the jaggery/brown sugar with the moong dal as it helps combine it evenly and thoroughly. Also, the heat from the grinding will make the brown sugar melt lightly and it will help in forming the ladoos.
- If making a large batch of pasi paruppu ladoo, divide the flour mixture into 2 or 3 parts and add ghee to one part at a time and form ladoos. This way the rest of the flour won't absorb the ghee and dry out.
- Add hot ghee to the moong dal flour/jaggery mixture. This will help combine all the ingredients well and will be helpful in forming the shape.
Srividhya Gopalakrishnan says
Totally agree, apart from the boondi ladoo, Indian cuisine has so many ladoo varieties to offer. This payatham paruppu ladoo is so delicious and it's been ages since we had it. Thanks for sharing this and reviving the forgotten recipes.
Priya Srinivasan says
Payatham urundai, how nostalgic that name is sandhya! Such quick and easy ladoo to make, great snack for school dabbas!
Anna says
I took your tip and added some cardamom, they were absolutely and utterly delicious! Love that they're also high in protein, so I don't feel so guilty snacking on them!
Amy says
Even though this recipe had just a few ingredients, it had such complex flavors. I've been experimenting with new recipes and this one is a keeper. Thank you for sharing it.
Katie Crenshaw says
The instructions were perfect! I followed the steps exactly and the moong dal ladoo came out delicious!
Loreto and Nicoletta says
Thank you so much for sharing your culture and passion for its food!. I love how different Indian sweet are. Love the textures and pure flavors!.
You have really given us a true experience of your country!
Ann says
I am new to this recipe, but it looks and sounds delicious! I love traditional recipes like this! Excited to give it a try!
Tammy says
These sound and look delicious! I've never had anything like this but I'd love to make a batch of these. They sound perfect with a cup of tea.
Enriqueta E Lemoine says
Dear Sandhya. I'm so unfamiliar with the cuisine of your wonderful country that I appreciate so much all the descriptions you make. Payatham urunday is a recipe that I would love to try.
Bernice says
I love the idea of a sweet treat that is also high in protein and packed with flavour, in this case... cardamom. These would be perfect with tea or just when I want something a little sweet after dinner. Thank you for sharing!
Colleen says
This was a lovely treat. I was searching for something uncomplicated to surprise an Indian friend. She loved these!
Marta says
We've never tried or made payatham urundai, but we've been intentional about adding more culture to our meals. This was a fantastic treat. Since I love cardamom I added it to the mix and it was a huge hit among all of us.