Butter Balls

Venna Vundalu.

Venna vundalu are one of the signature sweets of Andhra. These are made from freshly made home made white butter. Rice flour is made into soft dough using the butter and deep fried till golden and crisp. These are then added to jaggery or sugar syrup which forms a nice coating once cooled. These are nice light golden color on outside if used sugar syrup and dark golden if used jaggery syrup.
Makes: around a cup of Venna Vundalu

Ingredients:

Rice Flour 1 Cup
Butter 1/2 Cup
Salt a pinch
Sugar 1/2 – 3/4 Cup
Ghee or Oil for deep frying

Method of preparation:

Bring to boil around half a cup of water and remove from heat.
Mix thoroughly rice flour, butter and salt with enough boiled water to make soft dough.
Make small 1 inch sized balls out of the prepared rice flour dough and keep aside.

Bring to boil sugar and quarter cup of water in a sauce pot.
Once sugar forms a thick syrup ( 2 – 3 thread consistency), remove from heat.

Heat enough ghee or oil in a deep pan on medium high heat.
Slowly drop the rice flour balls into the hot oil in batches.
Deep fry the balls till golden color and remove onto the absorbent paper.
Immediately add these fried butter balls into the sugar syrup.
Repeat the same with any remaining leftover rice flour balls.
Once the syrup cools down and forms a white layer on the fried rice flour balls, serve them as a snack.
Notes: Make sure to get the sugar syrup right.

Suggestions: If the deep fried butter balls are not soft inside and crisp outside, mix in some more butter to the dough and try again.
Variations: Some recipes call for one part of plain flour (maida) along with three parts of rice flour. Jaggery is also used instead of sugar for the coating.
Other Names: Venna Tho Vundalu, Seedai.