Mango Pala Thalikalu

Mamidipandu Pala Thalikalu.

Pala thalikalu is a traditional milk puddding made with rice flour. Milk is brought up to a boiling up and flavorings are added. Rice flour is made into soft dough with hot water and then the dough is shaped into balls and strings. The prepared balls are then boiled in milk till done.
Makes: around 4 Servings of Mango Pala Thalikalu

Ingredients:

• Mango Pulp 1 Cup
• Milk 3 Cups
• Rice Flour 1 Cup
• Scraped Coconut 1 – 2 tbsps
• Jaggery 3 – 5 tbsps
• Almonds 10 – 15
• Salt a Pinch

Method of preparation:

Soak almonds in warm water for sometime and peel off their skin.
Then finely chop the almonds.

Bring to boil a cup of water.
Remove from heat, stir in rice flour and salt.
Once warm enough to handle, knead the rice flour into soft dough.
Take around a lime sized dough and dissolve in few tablespoons of water.
Reserve this to mix it in milk later on.

Take the remaining rice flour dough and mix few teaspoons scraped coconut and chopped almonds to it.
Knead again and divide the dough into small portions.
Form some of the portions into balls and some of them into long thick strings.

Bring to boil milk in a sauce pot, stir in the rice flour mixture.
Boil for a minute, stir in prepared rice flour balls and strings.
Boil till the rice flour balls float (around 5 minutes).
Add little more milk if the mixture becomes too thick.
Mix in jaggery (if using), coconut and almonds.
When jaggery is dissolved, remove from heat.
Let the mixture cool down a bit.

Temper the mango pulp with little bit of rice flour mixture.
Then add all the tempered mango pulp to the cooked rice flour mixture.
Garnish with fresh mango pulp and chopped almonds.
Serve mango pala thalikalu warm or cold.
Notes: Make sure not to add sugar or jaggery if the mango pulp is already sweetened.

Suggestions: If the strings or balls are too small, they dissolve in milk once cooked. Make sure they are big enough to hold their shape. If the formations are too big, they take more time to cook in the milk.
Variations: A traditional version of palathalikalu. Few pinches of cardamom powder or a very small pinch of saffron can also be added to the boiling milk for more flavor.
Other Names: Mango Pala Thalikalu, Mamidi Pandu Paalathalikalu.