Ulundhu Kali: (A special dish for ladies)

 

ULUNDHU KALI: (A special dish for ladies)

Ulundhu Kali, have you heard of this dish. I bet many have not. It’s a traditional dish of Tamil nadu and it’s a special dish for ladies which traces its origin from Tirunelveli . It’s with Ulundhu (Black Gram or urad dal), Panai vellam (Palm Jaggery) and Nallenai  (Gingelly oil). It looks and tastes like Halwa. It’s given to girls at the time of puberty and to women when they deliver and breastfeed. It’s said to improve bone strength and is a great source of calcium. Since it’s an oily dish young generation avoid it considering it as unhealthy and a source of cholesterol. But they forget that it’s made of Gingelly oil. Studies show that Gingelly oil has enormous health benefits.

 1. It helps to control blood sugar

 2. High source of unsaturated fat

 3. It contains a chemical compound called known as lignans, which is a powerful antioxidant.

 4. It lowers blood pressure.

 5. Because of its antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties it is used in beauty treatments in Ayurveda.

 6. Gingelly oil is mainly known for its zinc and copper contents, which is helpful in production of red blood cells.

With these benefits Gingelly oil is very safe to consume and using it in daily diet is have proven to reduce bad cholesterol. But in the past three decades due to commercial motives most of our Indian oils were blamed for Cholesterol just to promote other oils. But recent researches have proved that these oils are healthy and contribute to only good cholesterol.

Ulundhu helps in Boosting energy, improving bone health, strengthening nervous system and helps in managing diabetes. Ulundhu kali is a power packed healthy food. It’s not a branded girl’s food. It can also be given to boys of all age. Ulundhu kali was usually given to girls at the time of puberty and is continued every month during menstruation. Women can escape osteoporosis with such natural ingredients instead of relying on medicines made of laboratory chemicals. This is a excellent source of calcium which can be given to babies above 1 year. Now let’s look at the recipe of ulundu kali

Recipe:

1. Heat a pan. Dry roast Urad dal till it is light golden brown. Take the roasted urad dal aside and allow it to cool completely
2. Take the roasted and cooled urad dal in a mixer jar. Add cardamoms and grind it to a smooth powder
3. In a sauce pan, add water and palm jaggery and allow the jaggery to boil and melt completely. Add a pinch of salt that will help in bringing out the sweetness predominantly.
4. Strain the jaggery juice in a pan. Bring the jaggery juice to boil, Add urad dal flour little by little and keep stirring, so that the flour and jaggery gets nicely combined
5. Keep stirring the mixture. Add gingelly oil in regular intervals and keep stirring the mixture. We can also use ghee instead of gingelly oil. But traditionally we use gingelly oil.
6. When the mixture becomes thick and rolls like a balls without sticking to sides of pan, then switch off the flame.
7. Make small balls out of the Ulundhu Kali mixture. We can garnish each Ulundhu Kali ball with pistachio or almond. Store the Ulundhu Kali balls in an air-tight container and enjoy this nutritional rich dish!

Gingelley Oil for face

You can use gingelley oil liberally on your skin for massage and for moisturizing purposes.

If you use gingelley oil for acne scars , dab it onto the affected area with a cotton ball, and leave it on overnight. You may want to exfoliate your skin first to remove dead skin cells and debris. This may help the oil absorb more easily into your skin.