Poornam Boorelu Recipe | Video

Purnam Boorelu are a traditional Andhra sweet dish. These lentil based fritters are widely made during festivals and other special occasions.

The main component of these boorelu is the sweet lentil filling. Roundels of filling is dipped in thin pancake like dosa batter and fried until golden. Perfectly made purnam burelu have a crispy outside and a soft, sweet filling in the middle.

About the Recipe

There are quite a few traditional Indian dishes that I haven't tried for a long time. But I've recently realized that it is important to learn our traditional dishes, not just for me, but more for the kids. I want them to know more about our traditions and our dishes too.

So in that effort, I am trying out some of the Andhra specialties I grew up eating. I've started bugging my mom to help me out with traditional recipes. It is very important to preserve these, both for us and the future generations. Here are a few that I have already tried, janthikalu, chalimidi and madatha kaaja.

Poornam boorelu or sweet bonda are one of my favorite Andhra sweet dishes. They are a very common on wedding, house-warming or other special occasion menus. It is auspicious to make poornam or sweet lentil mix for these occasions.

Once the filling is ready, it is dipped in a thick dosa batter and then deep fried until crispy and golden. Follow the recipe and I am sure you will make excellent purnam boorelu that will impress your family and friends.

These are also made in other South Indian states and have different names. They are called suyan, seeyam, suzhiyan in Tamil Nadu and Kerala. They are also known as sungunta, sunguntalu and sugeelu in some parts of Andhra & Telangana.

Ingredients

For the details of the exact quantities of each ingredient and the list of ingredients needed, check the printable recipe card below.

There are 2 components for this recipe - poornam or the sweet filling and the crust or the outer cover. You will need the following to make this dish:

• For the sweet filling:
  • chana dal aka yellow split pea lentil
  • jaggery - is the traditional choice for sweetener. You can use coconut sugar, palm sugar or dark brown sugar.
  • dry grated coconut aka unsweetened shredded coconut
  • ground cardamom
• For the outer crust: this is basically unfermented dosa batter. You can also use store bought flours instead of whole lentils.
  • urad dal
  • raw rice
  • salt

Instructions

For the detailed instructions on how to make the recipe with exact timings, check the printable recipe card below.

Start by prepping ingredients to make the outer cover. This is basically a thick dosa batter. You can either use your favorite unfermented dosa batter recipe or use my recipe below.

Combine urad dal and rice in enough water. Soak for 4~6 hours. Drain and grind to a smooth batter using enough water. Batter should have the consistency of heavy cream. Set aside.

Next make the poornam: Combine chana dal with water and cook in the pressure cooker until tender but not really mushy. Drain well and reserve the cooking water to make dal or sambar. Cool the cooked dal and mash it into a paste.

In a medium size heavy bottom pan on medium heat, cook jaggery until melted. Add the mashed lentils and cook till the mixture comes together and is not sticky anymore. Add coconut and cook for 1 more minute.

Turn off the heat and let the mixture cool for 10 minutes. Then divide the filling into equal size balls. Place them on a plate to cool completely.

Now it's time to make purnam boorelu. Heat oil in a medium size heavy bottomed wok or pan.

Take one filling ball and dip it in the covering batter. Roll it to cover evenly with the batter. Remove and gently slide it into the hot oil.

Cook, stirring occasionally, until boorelu are golden brown on all sides. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Expert Tips

I have always shied away from making boorelu because making purnam is a little tricky. But here are a few tips to make sure that you make the best poornalu.

• The first and foremost if to make sure that the stuffing is not too wet or not too dry. When you are melting jaggery, the mixture tends to get watery. So make sure to cook it in a nonstick pan until the mixture thickens and dries up. This usually takes about 5~8 minutes on medium-heat cooking.
• Make sure that the batter for outer cover is not too thick or thin. It should have a thick heavy cream consistency.
• You can make the batter for the outer cover using store bought flours to save soaking time. Use ¼ cup urad flour and ¾ cup rice flour. Mix well, add enough water to make a thick yet pourable batter. Cover and set aside for about 1~2 hours. Use according to the recipe.
• Make sure that the oil is well heated before adding the boorelu for frying. Do not crowd the pan.
• Leftover burelu can be stored in an airtight container for 1~2 days at room temperature. These do not need to be refrigerated. They might not be as crispy the next day.
• The sweet filling can be made up to 3 days and stored in an airtight container in the fridge.
• Batter for the outer cover can also be made 2 days ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator.

Delicious variation to Boorelu

Here are a few recipe variations that are equally delicious:

• kobbari boorelu - instead of using lentils in the filling, fresh or frozen coconut is used.
• poornam poli - also known as puran poli or bobbatlu - instead of deep frying the battered filling, the poornam is wrapped in dough and made into sweet flatbread.
• Suzhiyan - this Kerala version uses whole moong dal and jaggery for the filling and the outer cover is made with all-purpose flour or maida.

Frequently Asked Questions

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