Besan laddoo

Besan laddoo is the most commoditised item from my repertoire. Like I mentioned in my earlier posts, I am capable of making exactly 2 laddoos at any given time. Earlier, when I was not a pro at this besan laddoo making process, I relied heavily on the microwave to help me out.
But gradually with time, I have become good on the pan based approach as well.

Most besan laddoo projects are a big failure primarily because the besan is not roasted properly. It is either underdone or burnt.

Growing up my mother made 3 Kgs of laddoos during diwali - 3Kgs of besan alone, equal quantities of ghee/ sugar and some dry fruits. The roasting went on for couple of days before diwali and then every night after she was done with her other diwali snacks, she used to sit down and roll a batch. 

Some days it became a family get together especially when my youngest mama joined us with his friends from college to help her out. She never let anyone taste the laddoo until the entire set was ready, so wonder why these folks came over all the way from other part of the city to do this chore...but I think those were the times when the world was not lost in the smart phones and internet world. Such activities which ended with your elder sister providing a feast for dinner counted as a way of entertainment.

During diwali, I make a lot of these laddoos, and I take my little boy under my arm to make him feel the joy of this community cooking feel. I hope he grows up with similar memories to share with his clan.

Ingredients

2 cups coarsely ground split bengal gram/besan

1.5 cups powdered sugar

1/2 cup ground almond and cashew powder

1 1/4 cup clarified butter/ ghee

1 tspn cardamom powder

1 tbsp nuts to garnish
Method
1) In a non stick pan, heat ghee. When hot add the besan. 
2) Now keep stirring the besan for a long time - 20-25 min until the color changes from yellow to deep amber and there is a strong aroma.
3) Take the flour off the pan Add the nuts mixture when the mixture has cooled down a bit. Your batter consistency should not be runny but more like a paste. So adjust the amount of nuts such that you are able to bind a ball of the dough
4) Add the cardamom powder and sugar when the mixture has cooled down completely. Mix well using a flat spatula
5) Now make small balls of the mixture and stick a nut before rolling it into a smooth ball.

Tips
1) Taste the flour after roasting with some powdered sugar added in it before mixing the sugar completely. If the flour sticks to the cap of your mouth then it is not roasted well enough. Get it back to the stove.
2) If the ghee does not get absorbed even after the flour cools down, then add more powdered nuts to the mixture.
3) If the mixture is to dry to be rolled, then do not add warm ghee, instead slightly warm the mixture - less than a minute and then try binding it. Alternatively, add a little warm milk but then the shelf life reduces.