Ulundhu choru or Ulundhu sadam or Urad dal rice is a traditional South Indian rice made with rice, black urad dal and a few simple ingredients. It is especially popular in the Nagercoil and Tirunelveli regions and is one of those nutritious one pot meals that is filling, comforting and easy to make at home.
Ulundu Sadam Recipe
This ulundu sadam is a common dish in my house. We make it at least twice a month. It is packed with nutrients, high in protein and health benefits. There is two version of this, we make ulundu kanji out of this.
But I love this rice dish more than kanji. The perfect side dish of this is egg avial, roasted coriander thogayal and paruppu. I have already a porridge which my mom makes which is similar to ulundu kanji but using broken wheat godhumai kanji.
About Ulundu Sadam
I'm a big fan of this Ulundhu sadam and my mom used to make it quite often and would always tell me how healthy it was. While raising three daughters, she always made sure to include healthy foods like Ulundhu kali, ragi porridge and ragi simili urundai to support our bones and overall health.
Black urad dal is one of the good sources of protein, iron and other nutrients and is often included in family diets for bone and overall health.
This Ulundhu choru is a very simple, tasty and wholesome dish. This dish is made with urad dal, rice, coconut, ginger, garlic and tempering spices. I make sure to use whole black pepper and palm jaggery when I make this dish.
I learned this tip from my mom, she always tells me to add little palm jaggery (karupatti) or jaggery when making ulundu choru, it enhances the taste.
It tastes especially good with paruppu, naatu kozhi kuzhambu, avial or a curry leaves thogayal on the side. It is one of those traditional recipes that may look simple but has so much flavour in every bite.
Similar Recipes
Ingredients
- Rice : Use regular rice for this recipe. I prefer ponni rice for this dish.
- Split urad dal with skin : Black urad dal is the star ingredient of this recipe. You have to use urad dal (black lentil) with skins on.
- Gingelly oil : Gingelly oil gives the rice a traditional flavour and taste.
- Tempering : Mustard seeds, whole black pepper, fenugreek seeds, dry red chillies, curry leaves is used for tempering.
- Ginger and Garlic: This adds aroma and taste to the urad dal rice. Use lots of whole peeled garlic for this dish.
- Dry red chilli : Dry red chillies added for its heat to the tempering. Add more or less depending on your spice preference.
- Grated coconut : Freshly grated coconut is used for flavour and taste.
- Seasonings - I used salt and palm jaggery in this for taste. Palm jaggery totally balance the taste of this rice dish.
Step by Step Pictures
1)Take rice and dal in a bowl and wash them in multiple changes of water. Now cover them with water, and let them soak for 30 minutes. Now Strain the water and set aside.
2)Heat oil in a pressure cooker.
3)Add in mustard, fenugreek seeds, black pepper into the oil.
4)Add in ginger, garlic and dry red chillies.
5)Add in curry leaves.
6)Let them fry in the oil for couple of minutes.
7)Now add in the washed and strained rice and dal and mix well with the tempering.
8)Add fresh coconut into the rice.
9)Add in salt and palm jaggery into this and mix well.
10)Now pour in water and Bring it to a good boil. Once it starts to boil, Cover the cooker with lid and pressure cook for 2 whistle. Simmer for 5 minutes.
11)Turn off the heat and let the steam go all by itself. Once the steam is released, open the cooker and gently fluff the rice.
12)Remove and serve with thogayal or any gravy dishes.
Expert Tips
- Use good quality black urad dal for the best taste and texture.
- If preferred, you can also use whole black urad dal instead of split dal.
- Wash the rice and dal well before cooking to remove any dust or impurities.
- I have used 5 cups of water for 2 ½ cups of rice and dal, which is 1 : 2 ratio. If you prefer a softer and more mushy rice, you can add up to 6 cups of water.
Storage and Serving
Store the leftover ulundhu choru in an airtight container and refrigerate. It is best to consume within 1 to 2 days.
Ulundhu choru tastes especially delicious with egg avial, coriander thogayal and paruppu. You can enjoy with chicken kuzhambu or fish kuzhambu.
FAQ
Q. Can I use a whole black urad dal ?
Yes. If you don't have split black urad dal, you can use whole black urad dal instead. Adjust the water quantity accordingly.
Q. Do I have to roast the dal ?
No, roasting the dal is not recommended for this recipe. If you prefer, you can lightly roast it before soaking, which adds a nice aroma and flavour.
Q. What can I serve with ulundhu choru ?
Coriander thogayal or naatu kuzhambu is a classic combination for this rice. It also tastes really good with egg avail and dal curry.
Q. Can I make this without coconut ?
Yes, you can skip the coconut if preferred. However, coconut gives ulundhu choru its traditional taste and creamy texture.
📖 Get Recipe
Ulundu Sadam Recipe (Ulundhu Choru, Urad Dal Rice Recipe)
Equipment
Ingredients
For Tempering
- 4 tablespoon Gingelly Oil (Indian Sesame Oil)
- 1 teaspoon Mustard Seeds
- 1 tablespoon Black peppercorn
- 1½ teaspoon Fenugreek Seeds
- 3 tablespoon Ginger peeled and cut into thin strips
- 20 cloves Garlic peeled
- 4 no Dry Red Chillies broken
- 2 sprig Curry leaves a handful
For Urad Dal Rice
- 1 cup Ponni Rice (White Rice)
- 1½ cup Split Black Urad dal with Skin on
- 5 cups Water
- 1 cup Coconut grated
- 1 tablespoon Jaggery or Palm Jaggery
- 1 tablespoon Salt
Instructions
- Take rice and dal in a bowl and wash them in multiple changes of water. Now cover them with water, and let them soak for 30 minutes. Now Strain the water and set aside.
- Heat oil in a pressure cooker, add in mustard, fenugreek seeds, black pepper corn, dry red chillies, ginger, garlic, curry leaves and let them fry in the oil for couple of minutes.
- Now Add in the washed and strained rice and dal and mix well with the tempering. Add coconut, salt, palm jaggery and mix well.
- Now pour in water and Bring it to a good boil. Once it starts to boil, Cover the cooker with lid and pressure cook for 2 whistle. Simmer for 5 minutes.
- Turn off the heat and let the steam go all by itself. Once the steam is released, open the cooker and gently fluff the rice.
- Remove and serve with thogayal or any gravy dishes.
Nutrition
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Dhruva
Love you Aarti for this recipe 😘
It's been 3rd time tonight and guess what! Whenever I cooked this I relished it also my office friend, who is a great cook, too loved this a loooootttttt
Being no south indie and the dish being simpler, I am totally loving this and sharing this url of urs to friends n families
Sandhya Venkatesh
Hi Aarthi, I was a bit hesitant about this recipe because I felt how the taste will be due to the black urad dal. But since it is healthy for girls, I thought I should give a try. It was a quick and easy recipe to make. It turned out so well. The taste was very good. Everyone in my family liked it. I have decided that I should make it often. Thank you for sharing a healthy recipe.
Savithri
Thanks Aarthi, for a very tasty and healthy recipe. I really enjoyed it!
Sangeetha
Thank you for this recipe.