Optional – You may skip this and the next step. Add urad dal to a bowl and rinse well thrice with lots of water. Quickly drain to a colander. Shake the colander well to get rid of any excess water.

Spread it on a clean cloth and pat dry. Alternately you may spread it on a tray and fan/air dry it for 10 mins.

Without Rinsing Lentils: If you did not rinse the lentils, start on a medium low heat & roast for 5 mins. Later reduce to completely low and roast until aromatic, deep golden and crunchy. Turn off the heat.

With Rinsed Lentils: Add the rinsed urad dal to a heavy bottom pan and begin to roast on a high flame, stirring often for 5 mins. Then reduce the heat to medium and roast for 2 mins. Later reduce the heat to low and roast for another 3 to 4 mins.

Urad dal should turn golden but not burnt. (Check the pictures). You should smell it nutty, aromatic and the dal should be crunchy. Cool the lentils completely.

Test the lentils: Eat a few lentils to make sure they are cooked well. You should not feel them raw or undercooked.

Later add to a grinder jar and make a powder that is slightly coarse like fine semolina or chiroti rava. Make sure it is not too coarse nor too fine. Take ⅛ teaspoon of this mixture and taste it. You should feel a very fine crunch but not too coarse.

With Sugar: Transfer the urad dal flour to a mixing bowl. Add sugar & cardamoms to the same grinder. Make a super fine powder and add that with the urad dal powder. You may want to start with lesser quantity of sugar, taste test and add more. Mix and taste test, adjust the sugar as required. You can also store it in an air tight jar for several months and make ladoos later.

With Jaggery: Keep the urad dal powder in the grinder. Add chopped or grated jaggery (start with lesser quantity) to the grinder and grind for a few minutes until well blended. Taste test and add more if you want. Transfer to a bowl.

Heat ghee in a small pot until it melts and becomes slightly hot. Start by adding 4 teaspoons to the sunnundalu mixture. Mix only a portion of the flour with the ghee until you get a fine wet sand like texture.

Take 3 to 4 tablespoons (a small handful) mixture with your fingers and begin to press down into your palm with your fingers to shape the ladoo. It takes a few minutes to form a ladoo. If the ladoo doesn’t bind, it means you should add more ghee. If it is too soggy and loosely shaped, it means it requires more flour.

Add a few teaspoons of ghee at one time to the mixture and form balls. The jaggery version takes a little more ghee than the sugar ones.

Cool them completely and if you want you press them again to shape properly and smooth. Store sunnundalu in a steel or glass jar. Store at room temperature for a month and in the refrigerator for 3 months.