By Shweta Jindal
Oct 25, 2015 4 min read

Mom’s Besan-Aate ke laddoo

A very Happy Dussehra to one and all ! !! I made the authentic Aate-Besan ke laddoo ( sweet wheat-chickpea flour balls) following my Mom’s traditional recipe. I have always preferred them better than any laddoos in the world.

So I thought of giving this recipe a try and I got the best compliment from my 4 year old who said, ” Mumma , Grandma’s laddoos are very delicious.” It is an easy recipe and would give you the ever-lasting taste on your taste-buds. The Gond (edible gum) in these laddoos is beneficial for especially pregnant ladies since it strengthens backbones and they are given to lactating mothers too.

INGREDIENTS:
1. Whole wheat Flour (Atta) – ¹⁄₂ – ³⁄₄ cup (I took ³⁄₄)
2. Chickpea Flour (Besan) – ¹⁄₂ cup
3. Clarified butter (ghee) – ¹⁄₂ cup + 2 tbsp
4. Bura (tagar) / Sugar (granulated) – 1 + ¹⁄₄ cups
5. Silvered almonds(badam) – 3 tbsp
6. Gum acacia ( Gond) – 2 tbsp

Heat ghee in a wok(kadhai) or non- stick pan.
Add the Gond in the hot ghee and then add the flours together in the ghee. Lower the heat to medium or less than medium.
Stir the flours well to avoid forming lumps and mix the ghee well. At this point if you feel the ghee is less then add a tbsp more in it and check. The ghee should be enough to allow the flours almost flow in the kadhai when you stir them. Alternatively you may add Gond after adding flour in ghee too.
Let them roast till they change color and release a nice aroma of cooked besan and atta. This may take 15 mins. Meanwhile chop the nuts you wish to add. You may also add Lotus seeds(makhane) at this time in the kadhai if you like its taste. Stir the mixture on low heat only.
You will see the Gond will swell up in the mixture , such that if crushed with a spatula it could be broken.Be careful , hence and keep the heat low. Crush the bigger pieces of gond in the mixture. If it gets crushed easily it is cooked right. But if not, there are two reasons, either the cooking time was less, or the Gond was expired.
Now add the almonds and stir for about 2-3 mins. Then turn off the heat.
Let it cook for 10 more mins.Transfer the hot mixture in a Tureen(parat) or a flat tray (thali) to help cool down the mixture quickly.
It takes 20-30 mins to cool down the mixture completely.
You will notice that it will darken after removing from the stove too, because the heat retained by ghee releases slowly.
When it is at the room temperature ,cool to touch, then add the Bura in it and mix it well with a ladle or spatula.
P.S. : Never mix the sugar or Bura in the lukewarm or warm mixture. It would melt in the mixture and would get difficult to shape the mixture with hands then. We need a dry cool mixture for making laddoos.
Now place some mixture on your palms and try to bind it by pressing with both hands or one hand and then rotating it in circular motion on your palm to give it a round tennis ball shape.
My laddoos got deflated because the ghee hasn’t cooled yet. But don’t worry as the ghee cools ,it solidifies and could be re-shaped again to get the perfect round .
Store them in a closed container and store on the shelf for a month.