Oondees

Four-inch spheres of cooked semolina, steamed rather than fried.

Vegan.

Ingredients

• 300 g coarse semolina, or idli rava
• 100 g fresh coconut, grated
• 900 ml water
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 2 teaspoons mustard seeds
• 1 teaspoon urad dal
• 20 curry leaves
• 2 green chillies, chopped
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil

Method

1. FOUR-INCH SPHERES OF COOKED SEMOLINA, STEAMED RATHER THAN FRIED. Its article gives the size twice and the method once: oondees are SPHERICAL SHAPED AND ABOUT 4 INCHES IN DIAMETER and HAVE A SEMI-SOFT TEXTURE, and they are PREPARED BY COOKING BOILING RAVA (SEMOLINA) WITH COCONUT, SUGAR, SALT AND SPICES UNTIL IT BECOMES SEMI-HARD. THE MASS IS SHAPED INTO SPHERES ABOUT FOUR INCHES IN DIAMETER AND STEAMED. Four inches is a cricket ball, which is larger than it sounds and is the point of the dish.
2. AND THE OLDER WAY IS GIVEN TOO. Its article says oondees were once made BY SOAKING AND FLATTENING RICE BY POUNDING ON IT, and that IN MODERN TIMES READY-MADE IDLI RAVA IS USED INSTEAD. Either works; coarse semolina is the easiest to find.
3. TEMPER FIRST, IN COCONUT OIL. Mustard seeds until they pop, then the urad dal to gold, then curry leaves and chilli. This is a Mangalorean breakfast and the tempering is where that comes from.
4. ROAST THE SEMOLINA IN THE TEMPERING BEFORE ANY WATER GOES IN. Five minutes until it smells nutty. Unroasted rava goes gluey.
5. THE WATER GOES IN ALL AT ONCE AND IT IS STIRRED HARD. Three parts water to one of semolina, boiling. It thickens within a minute, so have the spoon moving before you pour.
6. COOK IT UNTIL IT IS SEMI-HARD, WHICH IS THE ARTICLE'S WORD AND THE RIGHT TEST. Eight or ten minutes on a low heat, covered, stirred twice. It should hold a shape when a spoonful is pressed, not slump.
7. SHAPE THE SPHERES WITH WET HANDS WHILE IT IS HOT. Four of them, firmly packed. Loose ones break up in the steamer.
8. STEAM THEM TWELVE MINUTES AND EAT THEM WARM, WITH COCONUT CHUTNEY. Its article allows them SWEETENED BY ADDING SUGAR OR COCONUT, which is why two spoons of sugar are in the list; leave it out for a plain savoury one.

Our own recipe. This one was written for this site rather than taken from anywhere, so there is no source to point you at. The quantities and the order of the steps are choices, not the only way to do it.

Filed under India · All recipes