Menthulu Sankati / Vendhaya Kali / Fenugreek Rice Balls

I always rely on menthulu sankati whenever I feel to cool my body. A simple healthy breakfast which I like to have once in a week during summer. I am not sure which cuisine it belongs to, but we are making this recipe since a long time at my home as far as my memory can travel.

Menthulu Sankati – Telugu

Vanthaya Kali – Tamil

Sankati or Kali is nothing but cereals cooked in the form of a paste. This paste is obtained by soaking the cereals in water for sometime, then ground to a fine batter and cooked in water till to get a thick ball kind of paste. Menthulu sankati is usually served with sugar syrup and sometimes it is cooked with sugar syrup.

Priya of Now serving plotted the health benefits of fenugreek here.

Basic Information:
Preparation Time: 3 hours for soaking + 15 minutes for grinding
Cooking Time: 20-30 minutes
Serves – 4 people 

Inredients:

For Sankati:

Idly Rice / Par boiled rice – 1 cup

Fenugreek seeds – 2 tablespoons

Salt – 1 teaspoon / to taste

Oil – 1 tablespoon

For Sugar Syrup:

Jaggery – 1 cup, grated

Water – 2 cups

Cardamom – 2 nos (Optional)

Method:

For Sankati:

1) Wash first and soak rice, fenugreek separately for minimum 3 hours or over night.

2) Grind fenugreek and rice to a fine batter using the mixer / grinder / food processor. Add enough water to grind them.

3) Then, add 2 cups of water and salt to the batter and mix well without any lumps.

4) Heat this batter in wide pan and stir it using a wooden spatula not allowing any lumps to form. Make sure the flame is in medium high.

5) Continue stirring till the batter gets very thick consistency.

6) Now reduce the flame to low and add a tablespoon of oil. Continue stirring for 5 more minutes.

7) When you see the glossy shining thick ball kind, remove from heat.

8) Divide them into generous size balls and serve hot with sugar syrup. If you find the sankati is hot, cool it and on medium heat make balls or make it simple and have them using a spoon directly without making balls.

For Sugar Syrup:

1) Boil jaggery in 1-2 cups of water. Add crushed cardamom to it.

2) When the jaggery completely dissolves, filter it to remove the impurities.

3) Boil again the filtered syrup till it reaches the slightly thick consistency. It should not be very thick or very thin.

I am sending this recipe to CWF – WS – FENUGREEK hosted by Priya of Now Serving.