Happy Father's Day - Peanut Vundalu
We all have defining moments in our lives, meaningful experiences that stand out in our memory. While many of them are due to chance, there are some that are created by intention.
I still remember an experience when I was in Junior college and my grandfather, who was my guardian at the time, was called in to meet with my chemistry professor. I didn't like chemistry because I felt like I didn't understand it, and my grades reflected this lack of confidence. My grandfather listened patiently to my professor as she gave remarks about me failing. At the end of the report, he glanced at me briefly and turned back towards my professor to state, in a stern but polite tone, that she was not a good teacher for me and that he disagrees with her assessment. I was shocked at his response, but that defining moment was exactly what I needed to inspire confidence in my abilities in chemistry and that year I received one of the highest grades in the class!
After completing Junior college, most of my peers were working hard to study for their medical entrance exams. Instead, I spent the summer vacation in England with my parents and started studying home science. While I enjoyed home science and was doing well at the time, my father saw the potential in me to become a physician. Being a psychiatrist, he engineered a conversation through a series of thought-provoking questions that created another defining moment when I began to see this power in myself.
The confidence our fathers have in us gives us courage and strength to grow in life and say "yes I can."
Peanut vundalu or peanut balls is my father's favorite sweet. I made them for Father's Day in advance, but both my dad and husband enjoyed them so much that they were gone before Father's Day!
Peanut Vundalu
Total Cook Time: Approximately 45 minutes
Ingredients:
2 cups peanuts
1 1/4 cup grated jaggery
3/4 cup water
2 tablespoons ghee
Directions:
Place the jaggery and water in a pan over high heat. Once the water starts bubbling change to medium heat and let it boil while stirring.
Simultaneously, place the peanuts in glass bowl, heat them in the microwave for 3 minutes. Toss them and put them back in for another 1 to 2 minutes based on the heat of your microwave. Be sure to prevent them from burning. Once done, set the bowl on a rack to cool.
After about 5 to 10 minutes the jaggery syrup will become stringy. Take a small bowl of water and drop few drops of syrup into the water. This is the syrup test. Once the stringy syrup can be rolled into a ball in the water turn off the stove and pour the peanuts into the syrup. Add the ghee and stir till well blended.
Grease a glass dish and pour the mixture into it. Flatten with spoon and let it cool for 10 minutes. As it is cooling it will begin to harden. Take a knife and divide it into pieces.
Grease your hand, place a piece in your hand press and roll into a ball. This is the hard part as it will still be warm. You can choose to leave them as pieces.
Healthy Tips from Dr. Mom
Peanut skins have antioxidant properties and fiber, so I do not remove the skins. Remember to only eat a handful of nuts per day!
Jaggery has a high level of potassium, minerals and antioxidants, but remember it is still high in calories similar to sugar.