Besan Ladoo Recipe / Besan Laddu - Kadalai Maavu Laddu - Diwali Sweets Recipes

Diwali is fast approaching. To begin with celebration, I prepared besan ke ladoo/Gram flour ladoo( Kadalai maavu urundai in Tamil) using 2 methods. Besan ladoo is a very easy recipe but bit tricky.Generally North Indians prepare this laddu for Ganesh chaturthi but we south Indians make ladoo for Diwali and other special occasions. Roasting the gram flour properly gives you the best ,flavourful laddu.I referred tarla dalal,Sanjeev kapoor’s recipes and even vahchef’s video.The ingredients and the quantity mentioned everywhere was more or less similar. So I followed them and slightly adjusted the sugar & ghee as per my family’s liking.When I browsed for besan ladoo, I found shiny ladoos as well as the semi dry ones like we get in Haldirams and other sweet boxes.I tried both the versions using 1/2 cup of besan and shared the same here.There is no much difference in both the methods except the place of adding ghee.In first version, I used all the ghee for roasting the flour and it yielded shiny ladoos.For the second version,i followed my mom’s moong dal ladoo method and made it dry adding less ghee comparitively.I loved both but Sendhil’s vote is for the shiny ones Winking .Whatever method u follow,roasting in very low flame for longer time is needed to make it perfect.Lets see how to prepare this yummy,easy besan ladoo/Gram flour laddu recipe using 2 methods.Enjoy making it for this Diwali and other festivals like Ganesh Chaturthi,Holi and of course for this Navratri too Happy .Do read the do’s & don’ts before proceeding to the recipe.

DO’s & DON’Ts

Sieving gram flour before roasting is very important to avoid lumps.
Roasting the gram flour in low to medium flame with constant stirring is most important to make perfect laddu.The color of gram flour should be golden brown and not dark brown.Keep smelling every now and then to find out whether the gram flour is roasted properly.(Ask your family members for the same).Roasting takes minimum 5-10 minutes in very low flame based on the quantity of gram flour you use.Stay nearby and roast it patiently.
If u add all the ghee for roasting,roast till the besan starts to turn into a glossy paste leaving ghee in the kadai.Good non-stick kadai is necessary to find the besan leaving ghee.
Also do not add the powdered sugar when the roasted gram flour is too hot.It will make the mixture goey and u won’t get properly shaped ladoo.So its better to add powdered sugar only after the gram flour cools completely or warm.
There are two types of gram flour available in market.One is coarse besan and the other one is fine besan.Generally besan ladoos are made using coarse flour.But if u have fine flour,u can add a tsp of sooji/semolina while roasting the flour to get crunchy taste.Similarly Boora sugar/tegra is used instead of normal powdered sugar.But both works fine.
Some people add a pinch of nutmeg powder along with cardamom powder.U can do if u like.
Some recipes also suggest to use atta/wheat flour along with gram flour but i am not sure about the quantity.
You can double this recipe for making in large quantities but just adjust sugar based on your need.

Besan ladoo recipe

Easy besan ladoo recipe for Diwali and other festivals- two versions

Cuisine: Indian

Category: Sweet

Yields: 3-4 nos

Prep time: 5 Minutes

Cook time: 20 Minutes

Total time: 25 Minutes

INGREDIENTS
1 cup – 200ml

Method – 1 for shiny version

Besan/Gram flour – 1/2 cup
Powdered sugar – 1/3 cup(use 1/2 cup for more sweetness)
Melted ghee – 2.5 tbsp
Cardamom seeds – 2 nos

Method -2 for dry version

Gram flour/besan – 1/2 cup
Powdered sugar – 1/2 cup
Melted ghee – 2-3 tbsp
Cardamom seeds – 2 nos

METHOD

Sieve the mentioned gram flour well by breaking the lumps.Powder the sugar nicely.Set aside.This step is common for both the method.

METHOD – 1 Heat all the ghee in a non-stick kadai and roast the cashews in low flame. Remove roasted cashews in a plate. I used badam here.

Add the sieved flour to the ghee and roast it well by keeping the flame very low to medium whenever required.Take care not to burn.Its better to keep the flame low and keep stirring constantly.It will turn to a paste & starts to leave the ghee.Keep roasting till u get it like a shiny whole mass as you see in the picture .The entire house smells with roasted flour n ghee.Switch off the flame and let it cool in the kadai itself.Mix once or twice in the middle.

After the besan is cooled completely,add the powdered sugar & crushed cardamom powder. Mix well.Your hands would do a good job here.So don’t hesitate.Mix well.Mixture will become crumbly now. Let it rest for 5 minutes. Then make tight balls and arrange. Initially balls may be goey, and improper in shape & sticking to the plate. So arrange in a polythene sheet or butter paper. When it cools down completely,u can make the balls tight n perfectly round.

METHOD-2,Roast the cashews in a tsp of ghee and in the same kadai,add the sieved gram flour.Roast in low flame till it changes its color to golden brown.Switch off the flame and let it become warm.Add the powdered sugar and cardamom powder.Mix well.Add hot melted ghee and mix the flour well with the ladle.When the mixture is warm,make tight balls and arrange in a plate.

Try any based on your liking. Both tastes yummy !

Note

Make sure the besan is roasted well .Otherwise it would smell raw.
If u r not able to make balls , add 1 tbsp of more ghee and make balls.. Adding less ghee than the mentioned quantity gives dry balls.Adding too much of ghee makes the balls shapeless.It wont be firm.U can also try adding little milk to make balls but shelf life gets reduced..
Adjust the sugar according to your taste buds. Before shaping the balls , just taste it and add more if u need..

Which one are you going to try,Shiny laddo OR Dry ones ?? Batting Eyelashes