Besan ladoos

Ladoo (or laddu) is a sphere or round shaped sweet originating from India. Ladoo literally means ‘round’. This recipe is for besan ladoos! Besan is Hindi for gram flour (chickpea flour). The name therefore literally means gram flour ball! There are so many varieties of ladoos, from coconut ladoos to semolina ladoos. The basic recipe involves roasting besan in ghee and then adding sugar & cardamom. They are often served on special occasions and make a delicious after dinner or sweet treat. This recipe makes around 15 ladoos, depending on how small or big you roll them. 

Ingredients

1/2 cup melted ghee 

2 cups besan (gram flour)

1/2 cup caster sugar (or to taste)

1/2 tsp cardamom powder

Method

• In a large dry frying pan, add the semolina and besan. Roast on a low-medium heat for around 10 minutes until the besan is fragrant – you’ll get a lovely nutty smell coming from the pan. Important: don’t roast on a high heat, yes it may brown quicker but you’ll get a burnt flavour and the besan won’t taste nice.
  
  
• After 10 minutes, add the ghee and mix well. Keep roasting for another 15 minutes until the ghee is incorporated. The roasting time is around 25 minutes in total. The consistency will go from grainy to smooth and golden brown in colour. 
  
  
• Turn off the heat and add the sugar. Mix well until the sugar has dissolved and allow the mixture to come away from the side of the pan.
  
  
• Add the cardamom and mix well.
  
  
• Let cool until you can handle the mixture.
  
  
• Shape into evenly sized ladoos!