Few know how to make this Indian cookie

Whether it is a dance, craftwork, food or an artisanal skill, traditional art and craft can only be preserved if they are taught and passed down to the younger generation by the experts. This new column highlights individuals who play a part in the preservation works and the younger ones who strive to carry on with the tradition.  

Finished product: The ball-shaped delicacy ready to be eaten.

SOME people use a hammer to break the Ketti Urundai, a traditional Indian delicacy, into small pieces to savour while some use their strong teeth to do the job. 

Also commonly known as Kallu Urundai, the sweet savoury made using peanuts and chickpea flour is not so popular these days, especially among the younger generation, simply because fewer people are making it or know how to make it.  

“Another possible reason for its declining popularity is that the delicacy is hard in texture and some effort is needed to eat it. Kallu means stone, reflecting the hardness while Urundai means balls, referring to its round shape,” housewife K. Theiva-nai said during a demonstration at her home in Setapak, Kuala Lumpur.  

The 53-year-old watched her mo-ther and grandmother make the delicacy when she was a young girl during festivities like Deepavali.  

By 12, she was already helping her mother prepare the delicacy and by 18, she could prepare it on her own.  

Now she is imparting her knowledge to her 32-year-old daughter M. Kumudha.  

“I am not an expert yet but I can manage to make edible Ketti Urun-dais,” said Kumudha. Young people should learn the skill as otherwise it will become a forgotton delicacy.''  

The main ingredients are fried peanuts and chickpeas.  

“You also need to fry some parboiled rice till light brown and grind it into a powder form. Some people also use pounded fried green peas. This addition may add flavour but at the same time it also makes the end product even harder,” said Theivanai.  

Meanwhile, Kumudha mixed some brown sugar and water in a bowl. The sugar was then boiled over a low flame until it became a thick syrup.  

Thevanai said the syrup was used to preserve the nutty mixture longer.  

“It’s an old recipe from India. Those days there was no fridge and so people found ways to preserve food through ingredients like salt and sugar,” she said.  

Next Thevanai mixed the peanuts and chickpeas and added powdered rice, mixed with some ground dried ginger and nutmeg.  

An array: The ingredients for the Kallu Urundai.

The kitchen was filled with a pleasant spicy aroma as she did this. A dash of salt was also added.  

The hot syrup was then poured over the mixture and mixed using a spoon.  

Together, Thevanai and Kumudha started to form balls the size of a lime using their palms.  

“In the old days, the size of the balls were big, almost the size of an apple. We used to make them big too,” said Thevanai.  

Within 15 minutes, they managed to roll out 10 balls. 

“These can be kept for about a month in an airtight container and as they cool, they become harder,” she said.