In India, winter arrives in its own sweet time. However, the preparation for the same begins way in advance. Dusty trunks are raided for old, but reliable quilts that need just ‘a little bit of sun’ to be back in shape. Preps begin for the masalas of pickles and murabbas and the entire family is cautioned to be careful around the same. Laddoos and halwas replace custards and kulfis. And before you know it, you are all winter ready.
Laddoo, maybe seen as a decadent dessert now, but originally, it was an Ayurvedic remedy for cold, cough, and seasonal ailments. To date, many ‘unconventional’ ingredients that you do not quite associate with desserts like methi seeds and gond (edible gum) are used in making ladoos more fortifying.
Millets are also very popular when it comes to homemade ladoos. India is very blessed with its millet production. From ragi and bajra to jowar, there is no dearth of options. Most of these millets are packed with fibre that help keep you full and energised. Besides that, they are also filled with immunity-boosting vitamins and minerals that help keep seasonal flu and viruses at bay.
This time of the year is particularly bad for people with bad immunity, but simple, everyday kitchen ingredients like besan, ragi, ghee, nuts like pistachio and cashews, have been our grandmother’s best companions in keeping infections at bay.
How about trying to make a ladoo with the same? It is not difficult, we assure you and we have fetched the recipe from Hotel Ashok, so that you need not worry about the flavour at all.
Millet Laddoo
Ingredients:
- 200 gm mota besan
- 100 gm ragi atta
- 100 gm bajra atta
- 350 gm desi ghee
- 300 gm boora (sugar powder)
- 05 gm cardamom powder
- 10 gm pistachio
- 10 gm cashew nuts
Method:
- Take a kadai, place it over medium flame and add ghee until it melts.
- Add mota besan and cook for 5 mins, till you achieve a sandy texture, add ragi atta and bajra atta thereafter, and again cook for 15 minutes until they turn brown.
- Now, add boora and nuts, mix well.
- Bring the mixture to ‘handling’ temperature and then start making laddoos. Serve.
