Besan ladoo
Makes 20 (serves 8)
Easy
Prep:
Cook:
plus cooling
Try this classic Indian sweet at Diwali. Besan ladoo is made with nutty fried gram flour enriched with fragrant saffron, chopped cashews and homemade ghee
Skip to ingredients
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- 6 green cardamom pods
- 100g icing sugarsieved
- 50g unsalted cashews
- 125g ghee(see tip, below)
- 200g gram floursieved
- ¼ tsp saffronsoaked in 1 tbsp warm milk
- 1 tbsp chopped pistachios
Nutrition: Per serving
- kcal333
- fat21g
- saturates10g
- carbs28g
- sugars13g
- fibre3g
- protein7g
- salt0.01g
Method
step 1
Split the cardamom pods and remove the seeds. Grind the seeds to a powder with 1 tsp of the icing sugar using a pestle and mortar. Set aside.
step 2
Heat a sturdy, small pan and roast the cashews over a medium heat, stirring all the time, until they pick up flecks of colour. Transfer to a chopping board, and once cooled, finely chop.
step 3
Melt the ghee in a wok or karahi over a low heat, add the sieved gram flour and fry, stirring all the time, until it darkens and releases a toasted aroma, about 15-20 mins. Stir in the toasted cashews and transfer to a mixing bowl. Leave until warm enough to handle.
step 4
Add the remaining sugar, ground cardamom and saffron with its soaking liquid. Knead the paste until smooth, then leave to cool to room temperature.
step 5
Shape the gram flour mixture into small balls (ladoos) with your hands, about 3 cm in diameter. Put them on a baking tray lined with baking parchment. If the ladoos are a little soft, chill for 10 mins to firm up. To serve, press a few chopped pistachios into the top of each one. Will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for 7-10 days.
