Microwave Kadalai urundai - Jaggery coated peanut balls

The fastest procedure I had found to make my all time favourite Kadalai urundai is with the microwave. I was experimenting chikkis with the microwave oven and then the idea of making the jaggery syrup formulated. Quickly tried these and some aval pori urundais, they were both delicious, done under 15 minutes, and gone by the batting of the eye-lid too.

Here is the simple yet delectable recipe:

3 cups oven roasted and skinned peanuts

1 cup jaggery

1/3 cup water

cooking oil/ghee to grease your palms

To roast peanuts, take raw peanuts in a flat microwave proof dish. Microwave on high(100% power) for 2 minutes and a half. Open the door, give one toss and microwave on high for a further minute.

Take out, allow to cool and skin them. The skin willl easily peel off.

Warm 1/3 cup of water on microwave high for 1 minute.

Dissolve the jaggery in this and pass through a strainer to remove scums.

Take the dissolved jaggery in a deep microwave proof bowl. Allow to boil on high (100% power) for 5 minutes initially.

Stir once well and continue boiling on high settings for 1 more minute. Check the syrup consistency by dropping few drops of the syrup in water. If a solid ball can be formed at this stage, the syrup consisitency has been achieved.

Drop the skinned peanuts in the syrup. Mix them well.

Put the mixture back in the microwave and cook on 100% power for 30 seconds more.

Take the bowl out, allow to cool slightly.

Grease your palms with oil or ghee and make balls of the mixture.

Initially the balls may not hold shape and will be soft. But as they cool down, they become hard.

Please adjust the cooking time in accordance to the output of individual microwave ovens.

You may make jaggery coated balls of puffed rice, puffed poha (aval pori), roasted gram etc. similarly.