Besan Ladu/Ladoo

Durga Puja marks the beginning of festival season for Bengali Hindus. (Diwali is also coming on November 3). With this is mind I wanted to share this recipe with you good folks. Ladoos are a ball-shaped sweet popular throughout India. A favorite of Ganesh, these treats can be made from white flour, wheat, sorghum, or in this case, chickpea flour (besan). My cousin demonstrated this recipe when we visited my parents down in Atlanta.

This version is gluten free though not vegan. It’s actually really un-vegan because of the heavy dose of ghee (unclarified butter). It’s rich but not super sweet. My cousin advised that once you add ghee, these can last for up to a month.

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Servings: 20-25 ladoos
Ingredients:
1 lb pd package of ladoo besan flour
1 cup sugar
½ cup ghee (for later)
¼ cup pistachios crushed small
¼ raisins

Method:
Add the ¼ cup ghee, flour and sugar to a pan. Mix in well. Cook in the pan, stirring frequently. The besan should darken noticeably in 8-10 minutes. Taste to make sure it’s cooked and to mix in the raisins and pistachios. Leave some raisins and pistachios aside for garnishing on top if desired. After the mixture cools, grab about about a half palm’s worth and form into a ball. Repeat this until you’re done. Let the ladoos cool for a few hours before serving.

Besan, sugar, ghee mix in the pan

Besan after roasting for a few minutes darkens.

Ladu Finished Product