Besan laddoo is a sweet dough-like food made during most South Asian festivals. Anyone can make them at home, as long as they’re up for a lot of stirring. Keep a close eye on the ladoo mixture so it doesn’t burn.
Step One
Ingredients - 2 cups (184g) coarse besan, ½ to ⅔ cup (110–150g) ghee, 1 cup (125g) powdered sugar, 1 tsp (5 mL) cardamom powder (elachi powder). Optional: 1 tbsp (15 mL) milk, 1 tsp (5 mL) cinnamon powder, 2 tbsp (30 mL) golden raisins, 15 slivered almonds, cashew halves, or pistachios.
Step Two
Roast the besan over medium-low heat. Stir constantly for about 10–12 minutes, watching the besan brown evenly. This is the most important step. Too little cooking will leave an unpleasant raw taste, while too much can burn the flour. Constant stirring will help prevent these problems.Use an Indian karahi (kadai), a wok, or a deep saucepan.Besan is the Hindi word for gram flour. It is also sold as chickpea flour, garbanzo bean flour, cece flour, chana flour, or (in Tamil markets) kadalai maavu.
Step Three
Melt and add the ghee. Warm the ghee in a separate pan to melt it. Pour it into the besan, stirring constantly. Keep roasting and stirring until the besan smells nutty and becomes easy to stir. This takes about 5 or 6 minutes. Taste it to make sure there is no sour taste. If there is, cook for longer.Start with ½ cup (110g) ghee. If there is still dry besan, or if you like extra-shiny, soft ladoos, add more one spoonful at a time.Ghee is clarified butter that's been toasted for a nutty, caramelized flavor. You can substitute plain unsalted butter, but it will have much less flavor.
Step Four
Mix in powdered sugar. Add sugar to the besan mixture. Stir until combined. Do not add the sugar while the besan is still hot, or it may burn. Leave the mixture to cool to room temperature.If you only have granulated sugar, turn it into powdered sugar with a food processor, coffee grinder, or spice grinder.
Step Five
Shape into balls. Wash and dry your hands. Shape the mixture into balls with your hands. Store in an airtight container. If you want to decorate them, see below for optional instructions.If it is too dry to form balls, mix in another teaspoon (5 mL) of ghee and try again. Keep adding ghee until the balls stick together.They will also be easier to form if you put the mix in the fridge for 20–30 minutes.
Step Six
Mix in golden raisins. You can add these directly to the mix, or poke one into each ball. Deep fry them in ghee first for even better flavor. Pat them dry after frying, with a paper towel.Chopped, dry fruit will work as well.