MOM’S HARVEST ELLU URUNDAI | SESAME SEED LADDU | Sesame Jaggery Balls

Sesame laddu made with black sesame seeds, roasted peanuts and jaggery. Very special sweet in the kongunadu region.

Sesame is an important seed used in Tamilnadu cuisine. Sesame and its oil is very traditional in this part of the world. Sesame is called as எள் (Ell) in tamil. Sesame oil was referred in olden days as எள்நெய் (Ell Nei). Ell meant sesame and Nei meant fat. Later on the name எள்நெய் (Ell-Nei) became எண்ணெய் (Enn-Nei). So the name எண்ணெய் Enn-Nei was referred only for sesame oil in the olden days. When other kinds of oil started appearing, the term எண்ணெய் (Enn-Nei) became a generic word for oil. Sesame oil became நல்லெண்ணெய் (Nalla-Enn-Nei). Nalla means “good”. The nutritional benefits of sesame is astonishing.

Ellu Urundai is a kongunadu special sweet made with sesame as its main ingredient. Its really healthy and has very minimal ingredients. The traditional method is made using ural ulakkai (wooden mortar-pestle used for pounding grains). I have made the ellu urundai in a mixie today. Ellu urundai is extremely nutritious as sesame contains several B vitamins, iron, magnesium, calcium, phosphorus, and zinc. Many articles also suggest that sesame consumption may help in small reductions in both systolic and diastolic blood pressure.