Ukkiri (Traditional South Indian Dessert)

Ukkiri is a long lost traditional South Indian sweet that is particularly popular in Tamil Nadu and some parts of Andhra Pradesh. It's a simple dish made from jaggery, parboiled rice and flavoured with cardamom and nuts.

Prep Time5

Cook Time30

Total Time35

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Indian

Diet: Gluten Free, Vegetarian

Servings: people

Calories: 249kcal

Author: Geetha

Equipment

1 Spice Blender
1 Small frying pan
1 Heavy Bottom Steel Pan
1 Hand Whisk
1 Spoon

Ingredients

1 Cup = 250ml ; 1 Tablespoon = 15ml ; 1 Teaspoon = 5ml

½ Cup Parboiled Rice
1 Tablespoon Ghee
½ Cup Jaggery Powder
2 ½ Cups Water adjust to get right consistency
10 Almonds chopped
2 Teaspoons Melon Seeds
½ Teaspoon Cardamom Powder

Get Recipe Ingredients

Instructions

Wash the parboiled rice thoroughly and drain the water.
½ Cup Parboiled Rice
Spread the rice on a clean cloth or plate and let it sun dry for about 30 minutes.
Transfer dried rice to a pan and roast over low heat for 10 minutes until it turns golden brown and aromatic. Stir continuously to prevent rice from burning.
Switch the heat off and let the rice cool completely.
Now grind the rice coarsely in a mixer jar or spice grinder. The texture should be similar to fine semolina (rava).
Keep it aside to use later.
Heat 1 tablespoon of ghee in a pan.
1 Tablespoon Ghee
Add the coarsely ground rice and roast it on a low flame for 2 minutes until aromatic.
Now add jaggery powder and mix until everything is well combined.
½ Cup Jaggery Powder
Now add water gradually from one hand while whisking the rice mixture with another hand.
2 ½ Cups Water
Cook the mixture on a low flame for 10-12 minutes stirring continuously until it is soft and absorbs most of the water.
Add chopped almonds, melon seeds, and cardamom powder once the mixture starts to thicken.
10 Almonds, 2 Teaspoons Melon Seeds, ½ Teaspoon Cardamom Powder
Mix well and cook for a few more minutes.
Once ukkiri thickens and leaves the pan, switch the heat off.
Enjoy ukkiri hot or at room temperature.

Notes

Roasting Rice: Roast the rice on a low flame until golden brown. Roasting enhances the flavour and imparts an intense aroma to the dish.

Stirring: Whisk the rice mixture simultaneously while gradually adding water to prevent it from forming lumps.

Coarse Rice Powder: Instead of grinding the roasted rice to a fine powder, grind it coarsely. Fine powder results in a mushy and sticky paste when cooked. Whereas the coarse powder gives a lovely texture to the dish.

Dry Rice on Cloth: Spread washed rice to sun dry on a fresh cloth placed on the plate or tray. Cloth absorbs the moisture from rice and speeds up the drying process.

Nutrition