Besan Ladoo (Easy Besan ke Laddu)

Ingredients

• 2 cups/200 grams gram flour (besan)
• ½ cup/125 grams ghee (clarified butter), add more ghee if required
• 1 heaped cup/175 grams powdered sugar – can use boora or castor sugar or confectioner's sugar
• 1 teaspoon cardamom powder or 5 to 6 green cardamoms, powdered in a mortar-pestle
• 1 to 2 tablespoons golden raisins – chopped
• 10 to 12 cashews – finely chopped

Steps

Roasting Besan

1. Using a heavy kadai or pan over low to medium-low heat, dry roast the besan for about 10 to 12 minutes.
2. Stir without stopping from the outset so the besan cooks evenly and does not burn.

Adding Ghee & Roasting Further

1. Put in the ghee after a total roasting time of 12 minutes.
2. Combine thoroughly and roast for a further 12 to 15 minutes, stirring continuously.
3. Watch for ghee releasing from the mixture and a fragrant, nutty aroma. Some ghee will float on a mixture with a molten-lava-like consistency, and the mixture will pull away from the pan's sides and come together. These cues show that the besan is fully cooked and ready for the next step.
4. Take the pan off the stovetop and set it on the kitchen counter.

Adding Powdered Sugar

1. Put the powdered sugar into the hot besan-ghee mixture.
2. Mix vigorously with plenty of hand strength, so the powdered sugar melts into the roasted besan and ghee without forming lumps.
3. Mix in the powdered cardamom, raisins and cashews.
4. After mixing thoroughly, leave the ladoo mixture to become lukewarm or cool at room temperature.

Making Besan Ladoo

1. Once cool, shape small or medium besan ladoo and put them in an airtight steel container. If the mixture will not form balls, freeze it for 5 minutes or refrigerate for 20 minutes. How easily it shapes depends on the quality and consistency of the ghee and on room temperature.
2. Offer the besan ladoo with some nuts as a garnish.

Storage

1. At room temperature, the besan laddu keeps for a month. Use a clean, covered jar or container in a cool, dry spot; a steel jar is suitable.
2. Refrigeration is also possible, although the ghee will solidify and make the ladoos dense or hard. Allow them to thaw completely before serving.