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5 from 21 votes

Payatham Urundai | Moong Dal Ladoo | Nei Urundai

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.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Course: Dessert, Traditional Sweet
Cuisine: Indian, South Indian
Diet: Gluten Free, Vegetarian
Servings: 20 Ladoo
Calories: 102kcal

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

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.

Nutrition

Calories: 102kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 6mg | Sodium: 6mg | Potassium: 20mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 20IU | Vitamin C: 0.01mg | Calcium: 14mg | Iron: 0.5mg