--- title: "Ellu Urundai: Sesame Balls for Saturn and Winter" description: "An ellu urundai recipe: roasted sesame and jaggery syrup rolled into balls, a winter sweet the tradition links with Shani, and how to get the syrup stage right." author: "Archana" published: 2026-10-24 updated: 2026-10-24 canonical: https://www.pariharaonline.com/blog/ellu-urundai-sesame-balls tags: ["Recipes", "Shani", "Naivedyam"] --- # Ellu Urundai: Sesame Balls for Saturn and Winter ## In short - Ellu urundai are roasted sesame seeds bound with jaggery syrup cooked to the soft-ball stage and rolled into small balls while warm. - In tradition, black sesame is associated with Shani, so many families offer sesame sweets and sesame oil lamps on Saturdays. Ellu urundai asks for one thing: speed at the right moment. The syrup is ready, the sesame is warm, and you have about two minutes before it sets. This ellu urundai recipe, sesame and jaggery rolled into small balls by hand, is one of the simplest sweets in the Tamil kitchen, and one of the most traditional offerings for Saturdays. Try it once and you will find your whole attention in your hands. ## Ellu urundai recipe: sesame, jaggery, hands **Ingredients (about twelve balls)** - 100 g black or white sesame seeds (¾ cup) - 100 g grated jaggery (½ cup) - 2 tablespoons water - ¼ teaspoon cardamom powder - A little ghee or a bowl of water for your palms **Method** 1. Dry-roast the sesame in a heavy pan on low heat, stirring constantly, until the seeds start to crackle and pop and smell nutty. Spread them on a plate to cool. 2. In the same pan, melt the jaggery with the water. Strain it if it is gritty, then return it to the heat. 3. Boil the syrup, stirring, until it reaches the soft-ball stage. Test it by dropping a little into a bowl of cold water: if it gathers into a soft ball you can roll between your fingers, it is ready. 4. Turn off the heat. Add cardamom and the roasted sesame and mix quickly. 5. Grease or wet your palms. While the mixture is still warm, take a spoonful and press it firmly into a ball. Work fast. 6. If the mixture sets before you finish, warm it on the stove for a few seconds. Black sesame gives a deeper, slightly bitter flavour; white is milder and sweeter. Many families use black for Saturday offerings. ## Why is sesame linked with Shani? In Jyotish, the tradition of Indian astrology, black sesame is associated with Shani, the planet Saturn, who governs time, discipline and delay. For that reason many families light sesame oil lamps on Saturdays and offer sesame sweets at Navagraha shrines, the altars to the nine planets. Families who take the offering further go to worship at Navagraha temples, or to Thirunallar, the Saniswaran temple, Shani's own shrine. Read this as custom, not as a remedy with a promised result. The tradition gives Saturday a texture, a flavour and a small act to perform. What you do with that is up to you. One useful reading: Shani governs discipline, so use the day to keep one discipline you have been putting off. Tradition also treats sesame and jaggery as warming foods for the cold months, and ellu urundai turns up through Karthigai and Margazhi in many homes. ## How do you make ellu urundai as an offering, not a snack? The ingredients do not change. Your attention does. - **Cook with attention.** Stay at the stove for the syrup stage. It is the whole skill. - **Do not taste** before offering. Test the syrup in water, not on your tongue. - **Offer it on a Saturday** at a lamp, before Hanuman, or at a Navagraha shrine. Many people pair it with the Hanuman Chalisa on Saturdays. - **Give it away.** Sharing is part of the custom. Sesame sweets are traditionally distributed rather than hoarded. Karthigai Deepam and the Tamil festival months each have their own sweets, and the same principle runs through them, from Varalakshmi Vratham naivedyam to the steamed Karadaiyan Nombu adai. ## A dozen on Saturday morning This week, make a dozen on Saturday morning. Light a small sesame oil lamp, offer three or four of the balls, and sit for a minute. Then give most of them away: to a neighbour, a colleague, someone at the temple. Notice how it feels to make something with such concentrated care and then not keep it. That feeling is most of what the offering is for. ## Questions people ask ### How do I get the jaggery syrup right for sesame jaggery balls? Melt jaggery with a little water, strain it, and boil until thick. Drop a little into a bowl of cold water: if it forms a soft ball you can roll, it is ready. If it dissolves, keep cooking; if it cracks, it has gone too far and the balls will be hard. Add warm roasted sesame immediately. ### Why is ellu urundai offered for Shani? In Jyotish, black sesame is traditionally associated with Shani, the planet linked with time, discipline and patience. Many families offer ellu urundai for Shani, light sesame oil lamps and give sesame to others on Saturdays. These are customs that express devotion and generosity; they are not presented as guaranteed remedies for any difficulty. ### Should I use black or white sesame for ellu urundai? Both are used. Black sesame has a deeper, slightly bitter flavour and is preferred for Shani offerings and Saturday customs. White sesame is milder and common for everyday sweets and Karthigai Deepam. Indian and Asian grocery stores in the US carry both; choose unhulled seeds for the most traditional taste. ### How long do ellu urundai keep? Stored in an airtight container at room temperature, ellu urundai keep for one to two weeks. In humid weather they may soften; a few minutes in a warm oven crisps them again. Keep the offered portion separate from the rest, and share it with family and friends within a day or two. ## Related reading - [Sankatahara Chaturthi: The Monthly Ganesha Fast](https://www.pariharaonline.com/blog/sankatahara-chaturthi-fast) - [Thiruvathirai Kali: The Sweet Offered to Nataraja](https://www.pariharaonline.com/blog/thiruvathirai-kali-recipe) - [Gochara: What Planetary Transits Mean, Without Panic](https://www.pariharaonline.com/blog/gochara-transits-explained) Source: https://www.pariharaonline.com/blog/ellu-urundai-sesame-balls