Besan Ka Laddoo

I cannot be termed a bonvivant but, I have always appreciated good food and drink in my life. Though there have been lots of instances in my life when I have had pointers that I am a good cook (good = better than worse) it is not until now that I have chosen to pursue cooking as an active hobby (let's see how long this one lasts) :). I have decided to make a sweet beginning to the new found interest so, armed with some basic recipe books and a little practical knowledge around the kitchen I set out to make Laddu. Laddu, the roundest, cutest and my most favorite of all Indian sweets. No Indian needs introduction to a Laddu. My fondness for Laddus (especially the Moti Choor ones) has lead me to nickname my girl friend Laddu also :) (not because she is round but, because she is sweet and I love her :) ). Today's recipe is one of the most common variants of a Laddu, the Besan (Gram Flour) Laddo.


Ingredients

Besan (Gram Flour) - 500gm
Ghee (Clarified Butter) - 125gm (about 1 cup)
Almonds - 32
Cashews - 32 (around 60 if not split)
Sugar Powder - 250gm
Ground Elachi (Green Cardamom) - 2 tbsp
Borneo (edible) Camphor - 2-3 gm (about a pinch)

Statistics

Makes / Serves - 50-55 pieces
Cooking Time - 25 minutes
Total Preparation Time - 1 hour

Procedure

1. Sieve the besan to get rid of lumps and air it up a bit. Melt Ghee in a pan and add Besan to it. Fry on low heat till the besan is nicely done and aromatic. Takes about 15-20 min.
   
2. Grind the almonds and cashews coarsely and add them to the pan along with the cardamom powder. Stir well and turn the heat off.
3. After the besan has cooled down enough to handle add powdered sugar along with the camphor and roll it into Laddus.

My Tips

• The Laddus prepared as above will be powdery and a little dry which is how I like them. If you like them a little softer then add a little more hot ghee before rolling them into Laddus.
• If you are one with a sweet tooth then adding a little crushed misri (rock candy) to the hot besan is recommended before step 2.
  
• For a better visual appeal you may soften the laddus as mentioned above and roll them in a separately prepared coarse mixture of ground almonds and cashews as a final touch.
  
• On long standing warming the laddus for 15-20 seconds in a microwave will soften them and give them a freshly made feel.