PALA MUNJALU

Cuisine: Andhra Pradesh state of India

Pala Munjalu is a sweet dish from Godavari region of Andhra Pradesh. It is made for festivals and special occasions.

Ingredients:

Rice - 2 cups

Coconut milk - 2 cups

Chana dal - 1 cup

Jaggery - 1 cup

Cardamom powder - a pinch

Salt - a pinch

Coconut oil - for deep frying

Method:

Soak the rice in water overnight. Next morning, wash the Bengal gram dal and pressure cook along with 2 cups of water for 3 whistles. After cooking, see if there is more water. If there is water, let it boil till all the water has evaporated. Then add jaggery to it and cook till the mixture becomes thick. Then add cardamom powder and turn off the flame. Form this mixture into small lemon-sized balls. Wash the soaked rice and drain the water completely. Put the rice on a cloth and let it dry for 20 minutes. Then grind the rice without water into a fine powder. Sieve the flour. Pour 2 cups of coconut milk and 2 cups of water into a vessel and heat it. Add 2 cups of rice flour and mix. Keep mixing continuously, so lumps will not form. Cook on a low flame until it forms into a soft dough. Take a small portion of the dough, press it into a flat disc with your fingers and put a ball of dal jaggery mixture in it. Cover the dough around the sweet ball and form a smooth and round ball. Heat oil in a kadai and fry the prepared Pala Munjalu until golden brown. Serve hot.