Pori Urundai is a traditional South Indian sweet snack made with puffed rice and jaggery. It's light, mildly sweet, crunchy, and easy to make at home. A perfect sweet snack for any occasion!
Love Indian sweets? Try my Gulab Jamun, Khoya Besan Ladoo, and Peanut Sesame Ladoo.
Quick Look: Pori Urundai Recipe
- Prep Time: 10 Minutes
- Cook Time: 20 Minutes
- Total Time: 30 Minutes
- Servings: 10
- Difficulty: Easy, perfect for festive celebrations.
- Dietary info: Vegetarian, egg-free, nut-free.
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About Pori Urundai
Pori Urundai is also known as Borugula Unda or Maramarala Undalu in Telugu, Puri Unde in Kannada and Murmura Laddu in Hindi. It is a traditional Indian sweet snack made by mixing crispy puffed rice with thick jaggery syrup and pressing it together into round balls while it's still warm.
What makes pori urundai special is how simple it feels. It is not rich like many Indian festival sweets like 7 Cup Burfi, Mohanthal or Moong Dal Ladoo. These are light, crunchy and just sweet enough. You won't feel heavy after eating a couple of murmura laddus.
Pori Urundai is usually made during Karthigai deepam, Krishnashtami and other South Indian festivals. This is one of the favorite childhood snacks that I grew up eating. It is a perfect and healthy snack for kids.
If you are looking for more healthy snacks for kids, try my Banana Chocolate Popsicles, Peanut Chaat, Chura Matar, and Mango Coconut Popsicles.
Why you'll love this recipe
They are light and crunchy, not heavy or greasy.
Can be made easily at home with pantry ingredients in no time.
They have a really good shelf-life.
Homemade and healthy!
If you are looking to make sweets with jaggery, try my Mawa Coconut Jaggery Ladoo, Paal Kozhukattai, and Gur Para.
Ingredients & Substitutions
Puffed Rice - Use fresh and crispy Arisi Pori / Maramaralu. You can also use Nel Pori or Aval Pori instead of Rice Pori. If it feels slightly soft, you can roast it for a few minutes on a low flame to make it crisp again. You can get puffed rice / murmura from any Indian grocery store. If you don't find it, you can replace it with rice krispies for a similar taste and texture.
Jaggery - Jaggery gives sweetness and binds the laddus together. Use a good-quality jaggery for the best flavor and taste. Make sure you are using crushed, grated or powdered jaggery.
Cardamom - You just need a pinch of cardamom powder. It adds a wonderful aroma and festive flavor to pori urundai. Use freshly ground cardamom or a good-quality store-bought cardamom powder. It is optional.
Ghee - I used it to grease my hands while shaping the laddus. If you want to make vegan version of pori urundai, replace ghee with coconut oil or sunflower oil.
A full ingredient list with exact amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
Variations
Add a little bit of dry ginger powder along with cardamom for a different flavor profile.
Add a handful of roasted peanuts, roasted almonds or roasted cashews along with puffed rice to increase the nutritional values and crispiness. You can also add a tablespoon of roasted sesame seeds or any of your favorite seeds for a nutty flavor.
Instead of large laddus, shape the mixture into small bite-sized ladoos for easy serving during gatherings. You can also press the mixture into a square tin and cut into square pieces instead of shaping into round balls.
How to make Pori Urundai
Use fresh and crisp puffed rice. If it feels slightly soft, dry roast it on a low flame for a few minutes or until it is crisp again.
Add grated or powdered jaggery and a little water to a pan. The quantity of water should be just enough to immerse the jaggery. Let the jaggery dissolve completely.
Strain the jaggery syrup and return it to the pan, if there are any impurities.
Add cardamom powder to the syrup. Let the jaggery syrup cook until it reaches a soft ball consistency.
To check the consistency, take a little water in a cup and drop a few drops of jaggery syrup into the water. If it forms a firm ball that you can shape, it is ready. The syrup should not dissolve in water and you should be able to gather and form a non-sticky ball.
Reduce the flame to low and add puffed rice to the hot jaggery syrup. Mix everything well so the jaggery coats the puffed rice evenly. If you feel the laddu mixture is too sticky, add more puffed rice and mix.
Remove from the heat. When the mixture is still warm, grease your palms with ghee and roll the mixture tightly into round balls. Work quickly before the mixture cools and hardens.
Let them cool completely. Puffed rice laddu will firm up as it cools.
Tips & Notes:
- Use fresh and high quality ingredients for the best results.
- Use a heavy-bottomed pan to prevent the jaggery syrup from burning.
- Syrup consistency is everything. If the jaggery syrup is undercooked, the pori urundai won't hold its shape and it will be sticky. If it is overcooked, they will turn hard. The syrup should reach a firm ball consistency. Keep a bowl of water ready to check the consistency quickly.
- You need to work quickly while shaping laddus. Once you mix the puffed rice with syrup, you need to start shaping laddus as soon as the mixture is hot enough to handle. As it cools, the mixture hardens and becomes hard to shape into balls.
- Grease your hands with ghee before rolling the mixture into laddus. This prevents sticking and makes shaping easier.
- If the murmura laddu mixture hardens before shaping, place the pan back on a very low heat for a couple of minutes until it softens again. Then shape immediately.
Serving suggestions
Pori urundai tastes best once it has completely cooked and firmed up. They are usually served as part of the festival offerings / prasadam.
These puffed rice laddus are light, so they can be served as a sweet after a meal or with a cup of coffee or tea in the evening.
If you want to make them fancy for birthday parties, serve them in cupcake liners or muffin liners similar to my Chocolate Crackles.
They are perfect and convenient to pack and share with friends.
Storage suggestions
They have a pretty good shelf life if stored properly. Store cooled pori urundai in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks. Make sure there is no moisture in the container, as humidity will make laddus soft and sticky. There is no need to refrigerate them.
More South Indian Sweet Recipes
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Pori Urundai Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 Cups Puffed Rice
- ½ Cup Powdered Jaggery
- A Pinch of Cardamom Powder
- ½ Teaspoon Ghee
Instructions
- Use fresh and crisp puffed rice. If it feels slightly soft, dry roast it on a low flame for a few minutes or until it is crisp again.
- Add grated or powdered jaggery and a little water to a pan. The quantity of water should be just enough to immerse the jaggery. Let the jaggery dissolve completely.
- Strain the jaggery syrup and return it to the pan, if there are any impurities.
- Add cardamom powder to the syrup. Let the jaggery syrup cook until it reaches a soft ball consistency.
- To check the consistency, take a little water in a cup and drop a few drops of jaggery syrup into the water. If it forms a firm ball that you can shape, it is ready. The syrup should not dissolve in water and you should be able to gather and form a non-sticky ball.
- Reduce the flame to low and add puffed rice to the hot jaggery syrup. Mix everything well so the jaggery coats the puffed rice evenly. If you feel the laddu mixture is too sticky, add more puffed rice and mix.
- Remove from the heat. When the mixture is still warm, grease your palms with ghee and roll the mixture tightly into round balls. Work quickly before the mixture cools and hardens.
- Let them cool completely. They will firm up as they cool.
