Pori Urundai for Karthigai Deepam

First of all thanks to everyone for the encouraging words for my previous pizza stepwise post. It made all the efforts I had put in fruitful :)

I am fond of lighting lamps and arranging them outside and inside the house, who doesnt?! This year for blogging sake, made pori urundai in advance. These days my little one has become a choosy eater(now mothers gene at work ;)), But pori is her favorite right from the day she tasted it. So this time when I tried pori urundai at home I made sure to make tiny balls to give it to her, seeing her smile to a mile, I was a contented mother :)

Pori Urundai (Sweet Puffed Rice Balls) Ingredients:

• Pori / Puffed rice- 3 and 1/2 cups
• Jaggery - 1/2 cup
• Water - 1/4 cup or little less than that (It should be just for the level of jaggery to immerse)
• Elachi powder - a pinch
• Ghee - 1 tsp to grease hands

Method:

1. First add jaggery in a wide bottomed bowl, add water and dissolve it well, keep aside for sometime so that the jaggery gets dissolved completely.Now strain using a strainer to remove the impurities and keep aside.



2. Now switch on stove and add strained jaggery water/syrup in a wide pan and add elachi powder. Stir continously and check it throughout so that we dont leave the consistency.



3. Consistency check : Keep a seperate bowl ready filled with water.Take a drop of jaggery syrup and put it in water, it should stand firm and not dissolve. It should form a slightly hard but flexible ball when you roll it with your fingers and see. When this consistency is reached, add the pori and switch off.



4. Now stir well, so that pori gets completely coated with the jaggery syrup. By the time of stirring, the hotness would be hand bearable.



5. Grease your palms and roll them into tight balls. Dont let it cool else it would be hard to roll them into balls.Store in airtight container and enjoy!

Karthigai Deepam is a festival of lights, celebrated in the Tamil month of Kaarthigai. It is celebrated on the full moon day of the Kaarthigai month which coincides with Krithikai star. It is also considered as the extension of the Deepavali festival. The lighted lamp is considered an auspicious symbol. It is believed to ward off evil forces and usher in prosperity and joy. While the lighted lamp is important for all Hindu rituals and festivals, it is indispensable for Karthigai.

Rows of agal vilakkus (oil lit lamps) in front of every house... this is the image that at once comes to mind when we think of Karthigai Deepam - the festival of lights that is celebrated throughout Tamil Nadu during the month of Karthigai (November-December). Not many of us are aware that it is one of the oldest festivals celebrated in the state, perhaps even before people began celebrating Deepavali and Navarathri.

Hope you all have fun lighting lamps and bursting crackers. See you all in the next post!!