Indian cooking / Dishes / Boorelu Appalu

Boorelu Appalu

Jaggery Biscuits (Cookies)

VegetarianOrigin Andhra PradeshPrep 2¼ hoursCook 25 minutesMakes 24–30

These deep-fried South Indian sweet patties are made from a slow-cooked dough of jaggery, rice flour, and wheat flour. They have a crisp, golden exterior with a soft, chewy crumb flavoured with rich jaggery and ghee.

Ingredients

Gheeplus extra for greasing

13 g1 tablespoon

oil/fat

Banana leaf · Kela patta

30 g1 piece

other

Crushed jaggery · Gur

900 g

sweetener

Whole wheat flour · Atta

120 g

flour

Rice flour · Chawal ka atta

450 g

flour

Vegetable oil · Telfor deep-frying

to taste

oil/fat

Method

Lightly grease a piece of greaseproof paper or a banana leaf with a little ghee and set aside.
In a large, heavy pan, bring 1 litre water to a boil, then add 13.2 g ghee and 900 g jaggery, heating until the liquid returns to a boil.
Take the pan off the heat and whisk in 120 g plain flour and 450 g rice flour until completely smooth and free of lumps.
Cover the pan, set it over low heat, and simmer for 1½ hours, giving it an occasional stir.
Carefully scrape the hot paste onto a sheet of greaseproof paper without touching it directly, place another sheet of paper over it, and press down lightly to flatten. Allow it to cool thoroughly.
Shape the cooled dough into 24–30 walnut-sized balls, then flatten each ball on the greased paper or banana leaf into a neat patty.
Pour vegetable oil for deep-frying into a kadhai or deep pan and heat to 180°C/350°F (a bread cube should turn golden in 30 seconds).
Fry the patties in batches for 2 minutes, flipping once to brown both sides evenly, then transfer with a slotted spoon to drain on paper towels.

Don't have something?

Ghee

Unsalted butter
Use 120% of the weight; melt gently over low heat to avoid burning the milk solids, which will yield a softer, creamier richness rather than a nutty aroma.
Vegetable oil
Use 85% of the weight; holds high cooking temperatures without smoking, but the final dish will lack traditional dairy depth.
Mustard oil
Use equal weight; heat to smoking point and cool slightly before cooking, bearing in mind it introduces an assertive, pungent edge.

Banana leaf

Green cabbage
Blanch large outer leaves for 30 seconds and use as a parcel; use the same size to wrap. No banana aroma.
Collard greens
Blanch whole leaves for 1 minute and use as a wrap; slightly tougher and more peppery.

Crushed jaggery

Jaggery
Grate or chop the same weight; dissolve in a little hot liquid before adding.
Ground jaggery or soft brown sugar
Use the same weight; softer and easier to mix, with a similar caramel note.
Brown sugar
Use the same weight; less mineral and less complex than jaggery.

Whole wheat flour

Wholemeal flour
Use the same weight; it is very close, but add water slowly as it can be coarser and absorb more.
Plain flour
Use the same weight but reduce water by about 10%; the dough is softer and the flavour less nutty.
Flour
Use the same weight as a plain-flour swap; reduce water slightly and expect a lighter, less wheaty result.

Rice flour

Cornflour
Use about 60–70% of the weight for thickening; for coatings use the same weight but the crust is denser.
Plain flour
Use the same weight for coatings; contains gluten, browns faster and is less crisp.
Fine semolina
Use the same weight for crisp coatings; coarser texture and needs a short rest.

Vegetable oil

Peanut oil
Use 1:1 by weight. Handles high-heat frying identically and introduces a very subtle, pleasant nuttiness.
Ghee
Use 1:1 by weight. Yields a much richer, authentic aroma and a glossy, heavier mouthfeel.
Mustard oil
Use 1:1 by weight. Heat until smoking, then cool slightly before cooking to temper its intensely pungent, sharp mustard kick.

Similar dishes

Mangalorean Neer Dosai

Soft Savoury Rice Pancakes

Mangalorean Neer Dosai is mild and savoury with soft, tender pancakes, while this dish is sweet and rich with jaggery and has a crisp outside and chewy crumb.

Same: Mangalorean Neer Dosai shares rice flour and vegetable oil with this dish, and both are South Indian rice-flour preparations.
Different: Mangalorean Neer Dosai uses only rice flour, water, salt, and vegetable oil, while this dish also has jaggery, whole wheat flour, ghee, and banana leaf and is deep-fried rather than pan-cooked as a thin batter.

Akki Roti

Rice Roti from Karnataka

Akki Roti tastes savoury, tangy from soured yoghurt and hot from green chilli, whereas this dish tastes sweet and rich from jaggery and ghee.

Same: Akki Roti shares rice flour, ghee, vegetable oil and banana leaf with this dish, and both are South Indian rice-flour preparations with a crisp golden exterior.
Different: Akki Roti is a pan-cooked savoury flatbread with onion, fresh coconut, green chilli, ginger, coriander leaf, salt and soured yoghurt as its souring agent, while this dish is a deep-fried sweet patty with crushed jaggery and whole wheat flour and no souring agent or spices.

Neyappam

Deep-fried Rice Flour Balls

Neyappam tastes of cardamom and coconut in a tender fritter, while this dish has a denser, chewier crumb dominated by jaggery.

Same: Neyappam and this dish are both deep-fried South Indian sweets made with rice flour, jaggery, ghee, and vegetable oil, with a crisp outside.
Different: Neyappam uses cardamom, coconut, and plain flour but no wheat flour or banana leaf, and it has far less jaggery and rice flour than this dish’s slow-cooked dough patties.

Basic Rice Recipe

Basic Rice Recipe tastes mild and clean with separate fluffy grains, while this dish tastes sweet and rich from jaggery and ghee with a crisp outside and chewy crumb.

Same: Basic Rice Recipe and this dish both rely on rice as a main ingredient, using basmati rice in one and rice flour in the other.
Different: Basic Rice Recipe has only basmati rice and salt and is cooked by the absorption method, while this dish adds jaggery, whole wheat flour, rice flour, ghee, banana leaf, and vegetable oil and is deep-fried as sweet patties.