Kobbari Boorelu – Fried Sweet Coconut Dumplings

Kobbari Boorelu is a traditional Andhra sweet recipe. The sweet coconut balls are batter fried to make them crispy and fluffy. There are many types of boorelu that one can make using different stuffing and the outer cover. The one that I shared here is a very tasty version with sweet and nutty coconut stuffing and crispy outer layer. I want to listen from you what you would like to stuff these babies with.

Serves –  4 to 8 people
Makes – 12 Boorelu
Preparation time – 20 mins
Resting time – 4hrs to soak dal and rice & 6 hrs for fermentation or use dosa batter
Ingredients:

For Batter:

• Rice (Wash, drain and soak in plenty of water for 4 hrs)- 1/2 Cup
• Urid Dal/ Skinless Split Blackgram (Wash, drain the water and soak the dal in fresh water for 4 hrs) – 1/4 Cup
• Salt – 1/4 tsp or to taste

For Stuffing:

Fresh Coconut ( grated) – 2 Cups
Clarified Butter /Ghee – 2 Tbsp
Almonds (Slivered) – 2 Tbsp
Cardamom (crush the seeds inside) – 1 no
Pistachios (Sliced) – 1/2 Tbsp
Cashews (Sliced) – 2 Tbsp
Sweetened Condensed Milk – 1/2 Cup

For Frying:

Oil – for frying Boorelu

Process:

For Batter:

1. Once the Rice and Dal are well soaked, grind them together in a blender to a smooth paste using limited water to get a pouring consistency batter.
2. The batter should neither be too thick nor too thin.
3. Add Salt and mix well.
4. Rest the batter covered for 6 hrs.

For the stuffing:

1. In a medium size nonstick pan, add clarified butter.
2. To the medium hot clarified butter add in almonds, cashews, pistachios and fry till slightly golden.
3. Keep them mixing in the pan so that they color evenly.
4. Add in the coconut, fry for 2 mins on low flame.
5. Add in the condensed milk and mix well until mixture comes together. (approx 2 mins)
6. Add in the cardamom powder and mix into the stuffing.
7. Turn off the heat and let the mixture slightly cool down.
8. Make 12 balls out of the stuffing we just prepared.

For Frying:

1. Heat the Oil in a deep pan.
2. When the oil is medium hot, dip the coconut balls into the prepared batter, so that the coconut ball is covered with the batter from all the sides.
3. Slowly slide the ball into medium hot oil.
4. Make few more in the same way and drop into the oil. But do not crowd the pan.
5. Fry them for 5 mins or until they are golden.
6. Repeat the same process of dipping and frying until you run out of the batter and the stuffing.
7. Boorelu are ready to serve.
8. Serve them hot, warm or at room temperature with or without ghee

Tips:

1. The batter should neither be too thick nor too thin.
2. Stuffing should be moist so do not over cook the stuffing just two mins should do.
3. Be creative and experiment with the stuffing.
4. One can make different types of boorelu like dal boorelu, sooji boorelu, chocolate borelu, paneer boorelu,  etc.