Churma Ladoo ( Whole Wheat Ladoo )

This is one of my favorite ladoos. It is nutritious - with wheat flour and jaggery - and very easy to make. This is a foolproof recipe and the result is a delicious tasting melt-in-your mouth ladoo.

It is that time of the year again, when we slog over our stoves making sweets and namkeens ( savouries ) to celebrate one of our most important festivals. The Festival of Light or Diwali as we say in India.

Diwali comes from the Sanskrit word Deepavali which means a row of lighted lamps. On this day we light little diyas ( earthernware oil lamps ), to signify the triumph of light over darkness, of truth over ignorance and of good over evil.

On this day families get together and distribute sweets and other home made goodies and wear new clothes and burst all kinds of firecrackers. It is quite a sight to see, flickering lights from little diyas everywhere, people all dressed up in their finery and all ages playing firecrackers together outdoors.




Churma Ladoo

Makes 12-14 ladoos

Ingredients

1 cup whole wheat flour/atta
A tiny pinch of salt ( optional )
3 tbsp melted ghee + more if needed to roll the ladoos
a little water for making a stiff dough
3/4 cup jaggery/gur + 2 tbsp water
1/4 cup dry grated coconut.
2 tbsp poppy seeds/khus khus
oil or ghee for frying ( I use oil )


Method

• In a bowl mix the whole wheat flour, salt and ghee together. Then use a little water to bind it all into a stiff dough. Form balls by taking a small amount of the dough in your hand and making a tight ball with your finger depressions in it ( see photo below ). If this is difficult to understand then just go ahead and make any kind of rolls.
• Heat the oil in a saucepan/wok/kadai to a medium setting and fry these wheat flour balls till they are golden brown.
• When cooled, break up these balls in a mixer and grind them to powder form.
• In another saucepan melt the jaggery and water on low to medium heat ( this setting is for my electric stove ). Add 2 tbsp of water to a pot and add the jaggery/gur pieces. Keep an eye on it till the jaggery melts. When it starts to bubble add the dry coconut. Mix it all up and remove from heat.
• Pour it over the powdered wheat ball mixture. Using a spoon mix it all well ( remember the jaggery is very hot, so do not mix with your fingers ). After a couple of minutes, when the mixture is still warm but not scalding hot, use your fingers to form balls . If mixture is too dry to form ladoos add 2-3 tbsps of ghee. Roll these balls in the poppy seeds. Repeat with the remaining mixture. The ladoos are now ready to be enjoyed.

Ghee and whole wheat flour kneaded with a little water and formed into rough balls.

Make balls in the fist and those are the finger depressions.

Fry them in oil or ghee till golden brown , on medium low heat.

Fry them all this way.

Grind it up in a mixer.

Heat the jaggery in a small saucepan on medium low.

Wait till it starts bubbling, which does not take long.

Add the dry coconut / dessicated coconut to the hot, bubbling jaggery. 

Mix it all together and remove it from heat.

Pour this hot mixture over the powdered whole wheat mixture. Mix it in with a spoon, as they are very hot and when it cools down a little, make balls using your hands. Roll these balls in the poppy seeds.