Besan Laddoo

When i was 1st came to Kolkata , divine providence made me room mate to a then perceived plain jane from the small town of Coochbehar . Even if she was everything i was not at that point in time , we shared the best camaradrie and partnered in a lot of crimes , as we went along . Being a hardcore Marwari , along with her came her big homemade dabba of laddoo's and endless supply of Bhujia , Mathris and piquant Achar's . These personal prized possessions , were strategically placed by her bed side window parapet and under strict vigilance, lest her more voracious ( read bhukkad ) room mate eat them all ! No 29/3 Gariahat road , was the start of our beautiful journey and this blog is particularly dedicated to one of the many such memories .

Being a Bengali , i have grown up in a frenzied world of sandesh & payesh and these particular genre of home made gond ke laddoo's that came from Richa's mum's kitchen were completely new to me . Made of edible gum & steeped in ghee and almonds , these were the perfect energy bars , every time we missed a meal . Over time , it taught me to stop criminalizing the eating of Laddoo's and i learnt that , as long as a laddoo is home made , it is good to go !

So coming back to the story of the evolution of Laddoo's in my mind , last Diwali, i braved to go the Laddoo making way myself . I researched and started with this Besan ka laddoo , as this looked as the easiest version . I made 02 batches and sent out samplers to all friends and family and boy (!) , was the feedback rocking . Trust me , these are darn good . I make mine in baby portions to keep the bite size just right . Let me take you through this - you will love me as you need just 03 staple ingredients to do this .

Things you will need :

• 02 cups of Besan or gram flour

• 1/2 cup ghee

• 01 cup sugar

• 03 cloves of powdered cardamom + 03- 04 pieces of kaju ( optional )

Steps to follow

• Powder the sugar and cardamom in a blender and keep aside .

• Heat a non stick pan and pour the ghee into it and allow it to melt.

• Turn the heat to medium and pour the gram flour into the ghee and continue to stir it frequently - At this point , be sure not to leave the gram flour mix un- attended for even a minute or it will burn , as gram flour roasts very soon .

• As you continue to roast the gram flour , you will notice the consistency of the gram flour will change . With time it will move from a crumb like consistency to coming together in the form a dough . This will take approx 20 -30 mins of stirring from when you started.

• Once the flour feels like it is coming together in the form of a dough like consistency , remove the mix into a clean plate and let it cool and rest .

• The consistency should be as in image below

• After good 10-15 mins of resting - check the temperature of the gram flour mixture - Note the gram flour mix should be mildly warm and not hot to touch

Disclaimer : If you add the sugar while the flour is still hot , the sugar will melt and the laddoo's will not come together. Add the sugar only when the gram - flour mix is very mildly warm to touch by hand .

• Once you have checked the temperature of the gram flour , add the granulated sugar and incorporate everything to form a dough .

• Now , roll out the dough into small laddoo's

• Top them with a small piece of cashew as garnish .

Pro - Tip : Sometimes , the laddoo's may not hold shape if your kitchen is too hot . In such a situation , put the plate of laddoo's into the freezer for 10 mins. Same will harden and hold shape immediately . Besan ke Laddoo's stay good in a glass jar for upto 2 weeks ! Enjoy the goodness :)