Besan ke laddu

December 08, 2020

Besan ke laddu

Besan ke laddu is an Indian sweet which is usually made during festival times. Besan ke ladoo are made from gram flour or besan roasted with desi ghee in kadhai, flavoured with sugar and green cardamoms and shaped into tight round balls. If stored well in a container has a long shelf life so you can relish it for long time. Besan ladoo can be decorated with pistachios and almonds but I like it without any garnishing. This sweet can be easily prepared in a less time without any fancy ingredients needed. So let's know how to make it.

Preparation time : 10 mins

Cooking time : 60 mins

Servings : 10

Ingredients needed :

1.) Gram flour/Besan - 500 gms

2.) Powdered sugar (bura shakkar) - 300 gms

3.) Desi ghee - 300 gms

4.) Green cardamoms : 10-12 powdered

5.) Sliced pistachios, almonds : for garnishing (optional)

Choosing ingredients :

1.) Besan(gram flour) : Always choose good quality besan to avoid bitter taste. There are different types of besan available in market with varying levels of texture. Super smooth flour, moderately fine flour, coarse flour also known as ladoo besan are some kinds available. The texture of ladoo depends upon the type of besan you used. I prefer a melt in the mouth texture so used smooth flour here.

2.) Sugar : I have used bura Shakkar here, you can use regular refined white sugar but in a powdered form.

3.) Ghee : I have used homemade desi ghee. Good quality pure ghee helps to make besan ladoo more aromatic.

Tips to make good besan ladoo :

1.) Roasting : Roasting besan correctly is the key to make delicious and aromatic ladoos. If this step is not done properly then aroma will not come out from the besan resulting in raw tasting ladoos. If the flour is over roasted it will give burnt and bitter flavour. Roasting the flour stirring constantly at medium to low heat is very important so that aroma comes out from the flour.

2.) Non stop Stirring : you need to constantly stir the besan non stop without taking any breaks even for few seconds especially at the later stage else the besan may burn.

Method of Preparation :

1.) Add 3 tbsp of ghee in a kadai or heavy bottomed pan and heat it. Now add besan to the pan. Mix both of them well. Keep stirring and begin to fry besan on medium low heat. You may see small lumps of ghee and besan. Just ignore it.

2.) Keep stirring constantly for even roasting and to prevent burning. After 5 mins of constant roasting, the colour of the besan will begin to change to slightly deeper colour and more aromatic.

3.) Reduce the flame to lowest and quickly add rest of the ghee. Do not stop stirring. Keep stirring to incorporate the ghee well and continue to roast the besan on low flame. The flour will absorb all the ghee and become lumpy at this stage.

4.) As you get the mixture will turn to a mass.

5.) Keep roasting and stirring non-stop till the besan smells aromatic and turns deep golden colour. It took 30 mins for me to reach at this stage from the time I added flour to the kadhai.

6.) As soon as you smell it aromatic, remove the kadhai immediately from the stove and place it on the counter. In just a few mins you will notice ghee oozes out from the mixture. The colour changes to golden and consistency begins to change.

7.) After keeping on the counter, keep stirring for 3-4 mins as the besan will continue to cook in hot ghee. Allow it to cool down completely and then add powdered cardamom and powdered sugar or bura.

8.) Mix well to incorporate sugar with the besan mixture. (Note : Do not add sugar when the besan mixture is hot otherwise sugar will melt and ruin). Knead well with your hand. At this stage besan mixture will look dry but as you mix the warmth of your hand will melt the ghee and help to bind all of the ingredients.