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Traditional Besan Laddu (ladoo) recipe
Besan ladoo are creamy, golden-hued, melt-in-your-mouth dessert balls made with besan/gram flour, ghee and sugar laced with aromatic cardamom, nutmeg and saffron.
Servings: 8 ladoo
Calories: 117kcal
Ingredients
- 1 cup fine besan / gram flour sift before measuring
- ¼ cup ghee
- ½ cup powdered sugar sifted
- 1 tablespoon pistachios thinly sliced, optional
- ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon saffron
Instructions
- Add ghee and besan to a medium sized heavy bottomed pan. Keeping the heat low, slow roast the besan flour, while stirring constantly with a spatula. Continue to stir evenly and break the lumps that will form initially.
- After about 10 minutes, the flour will start to loosen up and become light and fluffy. Continue roasting for another 10 to 15 minutes or until the flour turns light golden brown. At this stage the ghee will start to separate, filling the kitchen with a delightful aroma.
- Turn the heat off and take out the mixture into a bowl. This will avoid the besan from being overcooked. Allow it to cool for about 15 minutes or until it is luke warm to touch.
- Add powdered sugar, cardamom, nutmeg, saffron and pistachios. Massage the mixture with the palm of your hands, and as you do so the ghee starts to release, allowing the mixture to bind together.
- Take 2 to 3 tablespoons of mix at a time and start pressing and shaping to form round balls. Repeat with the remaining mix. Makes 8 ladoo.
- Store in an airtight container in a cool dry place. The laddus will stay good at room temperature for 8 to 10 days. For longer shelf-life keep them in the refrigerator and remember to heat in the microwave for about 10 seconds before enjoying them.
Video
Notes
Pro tips for perfect besan laddu:
- Use fresh, good quality besan/gram flour. I usually buy the fine besan from Indian grocery stores.
- Sift the flour and then measure it for the perfect proportion of besan, ghee, and sugar.
- I like using homemade ghee for this recipe with its nutty taste and aroma.
- Use a thick bottom pan or a heavy nonstick pan for roasting the gram flour.
- Make sure to sift the gram flour and powdered sugar to remove any lumps.
- Use low to medium heat to fry the besan or gram flour to ensure the flour gets uniformly roasted.
- Allow the hot flour and ghee mixture to cool down before adding the sugar.
- You can grease your palms with ghee before shaping the balls so that the mixture does not stick to your hand.
- If the mixture is too soft and sticky, add some more dry roasted besan to the mixture and then shape the laddoo.
Mom's Notes:
The besan and ghee must be slow-roasted over low heat stirring constantly until it gets light and fluffy, golden brown, and aromatic. The timings in the recipe are for 1 cup of besan flour. It takes 25 minutes to roast 1 cup of besan, 35 minutes for 2 cups, and 45 minutes for 3 cups of besan. The more the quantity, the roasting time will increase.Nutrition
Calories: 117kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 15mg | Potassium: 194mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 15IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 21mg | Iron: 3mg
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