Besan laddu

Its festival time and tomorrow is Varalakshmi vratham. We wish you all a happy and relaxed vratham.

Besan laddu is a popular Indian sweet made of gram flour. A quick one, ideal as it saves time and energy, especially on hectic days like tomorrow.

Preparation time: 15-20 min

Ingredients:

Gram flour (senagapindi/besan) 1 cup (200 gms)
Ghee 1 tbsp
Powdered sugar 4 tsp
Cardamom powder (yelakkayi podi/elaichi powder) 1 tsp
Grated dry coconut (endu kobbri/dry copra) 2 tsp
Crushed almonds (badam)
Crushed cashewnuts (kaju)
Raisins (kismis)

Method:

Crush a cup of almonds, cashews. Add raisins and mix well.

Sugar and cardamom can be powdered together or separately. It is easier to powder them together though as the sugar imbibes the aroma of cardamoms.

Heat a tbsp of ghee, add the gram flour and sauté till the raw smell is gone and the flour changes colour. Shift into a bowl.

Add the sugar and cardamom powder, crushed nuts, grated dry coconut and mix well.

Make average sized balls or laddus with the mixture. The laddus should be made when the mixture is hot. This will ensure that the mixture binds well. For this, keep dipping your hands in cold water while making the laddus.

Besan laddus are done. They can be stored in an airtight container for up to a week. Serve as naivedyam to Varalakshmi devi and enjoy.