Peanut Balls/ Chikki Balls/ Kadalai Urundai

One big addict to these yumm chikkis is at my home. Jacob just loves it. When we go shopping he always keeps saying that he just can't find out one thing among so many things in an isle. But somehow, when it comes to finding out chikki in an isle, he will hunt it down somehow. 

After our marriage it didn't take long for me to realize that he liked it. As every grocery shopping list would have it included. He gets overjoyed to see it and they vanish quickly too. So we tend to make it often at home these days.

Ingredients

1. 1 1/2 cups of peanuts
2. 1 cup of shaved jaggery
3. Ghee to grease your palms

Method

• In a wok, roast the peanuts, on medium flame. It should take about 10 minutes. The peanuts would have by now turned crispy and some of them would have already got its skin removed because of the roasting, while others would have got dark spots on them. At this stage, remove it form the heat and let it cool down.
• Once it has cooled down, take the peanuts and rub it in between your palms to remove the skin. Separate the skin and keep the peanuts aside.
• Melt the jaggery in a pan by adding 2 tbsps of water. Strain it to remove impurities, if any. Continue cooking it on medium heat, untill it reaches a consistency that when a drop of the melted jaggery is poured in a bowl of water, it should not spread but should be able to roll it into a soft ball. At this stage, turn off the heat, and quickly add the peanuts to it and mix it well so that all the peanuts get coated well with the melted jaggery. Let it cool just a little.
• Grease your hands with ghee and start making small golf ball sized peanut balls out of them. 
• Line it onto a plate. Once they cool down completely, store it in a dry and air tight container.

Tips

1. You could roast the peanuts in microwave too. Spread the peanuts in a microwavable plate. Microwave it for about 3 minutes, having stirred it every minute. Remove it from the microwave. It would not appear to be crisp but let it cool down a bit. They would start getting firm and crisp.
2. Removing the skin of the peanuts is easier when it is hot. They should be moderately hot when you are trying to remove the skin.
3. You could choose to add some dry ginger powder to the melted jaggery to enhance the taste.