World Palate Recipes- Sweet Besan Ladoos for Deepavali

World Palate Recipes – Besan Ladoos for Deepavali

 

 

 

 

It’s that time of the year, once again. The noise of fire crackers fills the air, festive lights or Kandil make a welcome at door entrance, colourful Rangoli designs  are made with rice powder to decorate home entrances and wonderful aromas of sweet preparations waft from the Indian kitchens. It’s the Festival of Lights or ‘Deepavali’ a Hindu festival, full of colour and grandeur. (Dee.p means lamp and Aavali means row).

A time to rejoice light over darkness and Truth over ignorance and good over evil! Happy Deepavali to all.

 

Deepavali lights

Rangoli design done on mud base on floor

Colourful Rangoli floor design

Traditional Diwali sweets are: Besan Ladoo, Rava Ladoo, Khoya Gujjiya, Chakli, Chirote and a variety of dry fruit sweets. Crispy savouries or Namkeens also grace the festive tables.  Families and friends exchange gifts and sweets. This brings back my childhood memories – my paternal aunt would arrive few days ahead of the festival to help my mother in preparation. The two women would busy themselves in the kitchen for long hours – sharing conversation and recipes and mixing and kneading dough for sweet Ladoo and  savoury Chakli and Chivda. ‘Wait till Diwali day’ my mother used to warn us children, lest we steal some sweets in a haste to relish them fresh!

As i celebrate Deepavali with my family today, this page becomes a tribute to my Aunt and old mother. Here is the recipe of Besan/Gram Flour Ladoo. 

Ingredients:

3 cups Besan /Gram flour

1 cup fie Semolina

3 cups powdered sugar

150 gms Cow ghee

100 gms. cashews

50 gms. raisins

1 tsp. cardamom powder

1 tsp. nutmeg powder

 

 

Method:

Place all the ingredients in a large plate, ready for use. Slice the cashews in half for decoration. Take a heavy bottom pan /large wok, pour 3/4 the ghee in to it to melt on low flame. Add gram flour to it and roast till light brown, stirring continuously and evenly. Add little more ghee, as required. Set aside to cool on plate. Roast the semolina till light brown, add to gram flour mixture.

Add powdered sugar, flavouring powders and raisins to this semi-cooled mixture. Mix /knead lightly.

Take a small part of the mixture into the palm of hand, roll /toss lightly and evenly to form  a ball/ ladoo.Decorate with halved cashew piece. Place on festive plate or in container. Distribute to friends and family after cooling.

Besan Ladoo for Deepavali