By Rajlakshmi
December 10, 2025
Kanpur's culinary heritage is a rich tapestry woven with influences from its historical, cultural, and geographical context. Among them is its famous laddus. Kanpuri laddus are a type of motichur laddu, made with high-quality ingredients and with a melt-in-your-mouth texture.
½ cup of besan flour 2-3 soaked saffron stems 3 tablespoons of milk A pinch of salt Pistachios, chopped ¾ cups of sugar 1 cup of water 1 teaspoon of cardamom powder 1 teaspoon of pure rose water ½ teaspoon of lemon juice Water as needed Ghee as needed
In a mixing bowl, add the besan flour and salt. Mix it. Sieve it through.
Pour in the milk and the soaked saffron. Add some water. Make a thick batter.
In a kadai or pan, heat some ghee on a medium flame. Take another airtight container and place it by the heating kadai.
Place a kitchen towel over the container and fold it over. Place a slotted ladle into the kadai, slanted. Make sure the end rests on the container.
Begin pouring the batter into the ladle. Start tapping the ladle over the container to allow droplets of batter to fall and get coated in oil.
Once the bubbles reduce, the boondi is ready. Transfer it to a large plate and let it cool.
Make a sugar syrup by heating equal parts sugar and water till the sugar dissolves. Add cardamom powder, lemon juice and rose water. Add in the boondi. Mix it well for 20 minutes.
Fry the pistachios in ghee. Add to the mixture. Grease your hands with ghee. Roll into laddus. Serve your Kanpuri motichoor laddus.