Crunchy sticky wheat pops

step 1
Wash the wheat well and let it drain on a sieve or colendar.
To dry it, spread it on a clean piece of cloth or a plate in a single layer. The process of drying the wheat would take about a day or two depending on the weather conditions.

step 2
Using a grater, grate the jaggery in a heat proof dish.

step 3
Place a wide wok on high heat and add wheat.
Dry roast it and keep shoveling all the time to prevent it from burning.
As it starts crackling, reduce the heat to medium.
The wheat will keep making crackling sound and the colour will start changing from golden to golden brown.
Turn off the heat when the crackling stops and the wheat changes colour and becomes aromatic.

step 4
Turn out the wheat over the grated jaggery and mix them well
When the ingredients are warm enough to handle, make small balls or pops.
They can be served warm or cold.

step 5
Note: To prevent the wheat from getting burnt, it is very important to keep shovelling the wheat and not let it sit even for a while.

Note: The jaggery can burn your hands if you try to work with it while it is still hot. So please be careful.

Note: Once you start making pops, try to work with the wheat as fast as possible coz if turns cold it will become hard to work with. (To deal with this problem, I microwaved it for 10-15 seconds and then started working with it again.)

Note: Give new dimensions to Murunde by adding sesame seeds or anise seeds or perhaps adding some dry fruits. You can even use puffed rice or poppy seeds instead of wheat. But I prefer it the way my grand dad made them for me J

Note: Jaggery is available at Asian or Indian grocery stores. I believe it can be substituted with caramel.