3 Ingredients Sesame Balls or Ellu Urundai

toasted sesame seeds

I get this occasional sugar rush moments and although I try to resist it, I normally fail at almost every attempt.  Well it happened again today and since I couldn't find anything sweet to satisfy my craving, I reached out for some toasted peanuts that was sitting in the oven, some sesame seeds and jaggery (indian palm sugar).  I toasted the sesame, ground all these 3 ingredients in a food processor, made them into balls and popped them into my mouth. It felt very good indeed but it I think I grew like 1" on my waistline.  I'm guessing that I must have popped quite a few.  

I remember my mom making these sesame ball or ellu urundai when we visited my grandmom during my elementary years.  My mom used to pound all these 3 ingredients in a stone mortar with a long stick. She would throw the stick in one hand and it would land right smack in the middle of the mortar and bounce back only to be caught by my mom with her other hand and she would throw it back and keep repeating this until all the ingredients were finely pounded.  I used to watch my mom in her rhythmic action, pounding the ingredients to make these sesame balls for us. Her version is usually very rustic and very flavorful.  Mine was a bit too soft since I used a grinder.  If I had ground these ingredients longer, I believe I would have made sesame-peanut butter!

Ingredients

1 cup sesame seeds
1/2 cup jaggery, chop it up first before measuring
1/2 cup roasted peanuts
1/4 teaspoon cardamom powder

Method

1.  Roast sesame seeds on medium low heat until the sesame seeds are golden brown in      
     color.  Keep stirring the sesame seeds while roasting to get an even color and also to 
     avoid the sesame seeds from getting burnt. So this means both eyes should be on the 
     sesame seed.
2.  Once the sesame seeds are well roasted and brown in color remove it from the pan and 
      leave it to cool to room temperature.
3.  Place the sesame seeds and roasted peanuts into a grinder and pulse it for a few seconds. 
      The seeds and peanuts should be roughly chopped at this time.
4.  Add in the jaggery and cardamom powder and pulse for a few more seconds.  You need          to pulse the sesame seeds until you can form a ball with it.  Don't pulse it for too long 
     otherwise it will become a paste.  The sesame seeds and peanuts should be slightly rough 
     to maintain the texture.
5.  Form into small balls and store it in an airtight container.