By Ratna
Browsing through the aisles in Chapters store, this book title caught my eyes. “The Emperor of all Maladies”, by Siddharta Mukerjee. ‘Pulitzer Prize Winner’ it was highlighted. What a befitting name for the disease. A disease that creeps in so surreptitiously that many a times it is too late when diagnosed. A disease where more often there is no cause. A disease that do not spare the young or healthy. You may have guessed it friends, it is the most dreaded C word. Cancer.
There have been close encounters with cancer in the family. I have lost my dear ones to this malady. Standing helpless I have watched how this enemy slowly and systematically eroded the life. We are eagerly awaiting the day when we can turn the tide and become victorious. I dedicate this post to all the survivors of this disease and to those who fought a brave battle with dignity but succumbed to this monster.
‘Relay for Life’ is an annual fundraiser that we do in our office, to raise funds for more research in this field. This is a cause that is close to my heart. When I saw the ‘Bake Sale’ notice in my office, I wondered if Laddus would in fact be a good choice. Although there is no baking involved this is an easy recipe. I made a small ‘Test’ batch and ‘ tried it’ on the girls in my office. “I’ll take two dozens” said L. ” Just the perfect snack to pack for camping.” I had my answer there.
Laddus are a common offering in religious ceremonies. It can be made ahead of time and stores well too. Every family has their own variation to the ingredients. Almonds or Walnuts, Pecans or Pistachios any or all would do. Some prefer to flavor it with Cardamom. Many other varieties of flours can be added too.
High in protein and Gluten free are an added bonus in this dessert. With as little as four ingredients you can whip up a batch in an hour tops.
Recipe:
Ingredients;
Salted Butter stick One ( 125 ml )
Besan ( Chickpea flour ) Two cups.
Icing sugar One cup
Pistachio nuts Quarter cup coarsely chopped.
Method;
Take the butter out of the fridge and let it warm up to room temperature. In a bowl mix together the Besan and butter. Rub it with your finger. Start with high heat. When the pan has heated up crank the heat down to medium. Stir this mixture carefully. Do not let the Besan stick to the bottom of the pan. There will be a change in colour in the Besan as it gets roasted and a nutty aroma will be there. It took about thitry minutes. The last ten minutes I had the gas on low for better control. Turn the gas off. Let it cool a bit. Add the sugar and nuts. Slather some butter in the palm of both hands and form tight balls. Store them in an airtight container.
I wanted to put my new silicone chocolate mould to work. So I coated the inside of the mould with butter. Threw in some Pistachio pieces in each and packed the mould with the above mixture. I waited for half hour to remove them from the mould. A new shape for the Laddus.
Inside scoop;
The above measurement yielded ten round and fifteen smaller sized Laddus.
No kidding Simi. Smell, taste, ready in no time. A win-win situation!
Love besan ke ladoo….the aroma of roasted besan and ghee….it’s bliss
I totally agree. Thanks for stopping by Rekha.
Reminds me of childhood when my grandma used to make besan ke laddu at home, recipe though sounds easy, she always said secret lies in how much you brown the besan.