Gond Ke Laddu
Gond Laddu is a traditional Indian winter treat made with edible gum (gond), ghee, toasted flour, nuts, seeds, and natural sweeteners—perfect for boosting warmth and energy!
Servings: 20 balls
Calories: 193.61kcal
Ingredients
- 1 cup sugar (see notes)
- ¼ cup sesame seeds
- ¼ cup desiccated coconut (see notes)
- ¾ cup ghee (see notes)
- ⅓ cup gond edible acacia gum
- ¼ cup almonds
- ¼ cup whole cashews
- ¼ cup pistachios
- ½ cup whole wheat flour (atta)
- ⅓ cup finger millet flour (ragi)
- ½ teaspoon cardamom powder
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- 2 tablespoons dried rose petals optional
Instructions
Powder the sugar
- Use a mixie grinder or food processor to powder the sugar. If using jaggery blocks, use the grater to grate.1 cup sugar
Dry roast seeds
- Place a heavy-bottomed iron or steel kadai on low to medium heat. First, add the sesame seeds and dry roast them gently until they turn light golden and start to pop. Remove and set aside. Next, toss in the grated coconut and dry roast until lightly golden and aromatic. Take it out and keep it aside too.¼ cup sesame seeds, ¼ cup desiccated coconut
Check the oil temp
- Wipe the pan clean and melt a few tablespoons of ghee in it. Getting the temperature just right is key for perfectly puffed Gond!Drop one piece of Gond into the hot ghee to test.If it sizzles and puffs up almost twice its size — you're good to go!If it sinks and stays there, the ghee is too cold — turn up the heat.If it shoots up instantly, it’s too hot — reduce the flame a bit.You’ll need to adjust the heat as you fry to keep the temperature steady. Fry the Gond in batches, making sure each piece puffs up nicely without burning.
Fry the gond in batches
- Fry in batches because they double in size. Add ghee as and when needed. I had fried ⅓ cup Gond in 5 to 8 batches! Make sure to stir each batch of Gond constantly until they fry evenly and puff up. Remove the puffed-up Gond using a slotted spoon and keep them aside on a plate. Add more ghee if required to fry the nuts.¾ cup ghee, ⅓ cup gond
Fry the nuts
- Add some ghee and fry the almonds, stirring often, until the skin colour starts to darken. Remove using a slotted spoon and keep them aside. Add more ghee if required and fry the cashews and pistachios until aromatic. Remove and keep them aside. Add more ghee to toast the flour.¼ cup almonds, ¼ cup whole cashews, ¼ cup pistachios
Toast the flour
- Reduce the flame to low. Add both the flour and keep stirring until the aroma gets nutty and the colour changes to a darker shade. Keep stirring until the flour is roasted evenly. Don't be tempted to increase the flame, you may burn the flour. You will know the flour is toasted when it doesn't taste raw. Once done, remove the toasted flour from the pan to prevent it from getting burnt.½ cup whole wheat flour, ⅓ cup finger millet flour
Crush the fried Gond
- You can easily crush them using back of small bowl, rolling pin, or mortar and pestle.
Process the fried nuts
- Add the fried nuts into the same grinder as powdered sugar and pulse it to a coarse powder. Add the seeds and coconut and pulse a few times.
Make Gond ke ladoos
- After you finish crushing the fried Gond and nuts, check if the flour mix is still warm. If it is not, then reheat it on low flame stirring for a few minutes until the flour is warm to the touch. Switch off and stir in the powdered sugar and or jaggery, crushed nuts, crushed Gond, cardamom powder and dried rose petals.½ teaspoon cardamom powder, ½ teaspoon ground ginger, 2 tablespoons dried rose petals
- Mix with a spoon and start making ladoos while still warm by grabbing a handful of the mixture and squeezing it tight first and then shaping them into balls inside your palm. The mixture will seem to be dry but it will hold together. If it fails, then drizzle more ghee and try again.
- Now, if you are the only person working on this, then the mixture will lose its warmth before you can finish making the balls. The weather can be the cause too. If this happens, take a small portion of the mix and add it to the kadai and reheat just to make it warm. Remove and mix it with the rest of the mixture and continue to make the balls. Repeat the process of lightly reheating a small portion to be able to make the balls.
Store
- Let the Gond ladoos cool completely and you can store them in an airtight container. Serve as a mid-day breakie or evening snack with chai.
Notes
Sugar: You can replace sugar with 100 to 150g jaggery (approx 2 to 3 blocks). Use the box grater to grate the jaggery.
Desiccated coconut: You may use fresh grated coconut and dry roast it until golden before using.
Ghee: The recipe calls for ¾ cup, but keep at least a cup of melted ghee as you may need to add it in the end to bring the mixture together.
Nutrition
Serving: 1piece | Calories: 193.61kcal | Carbohydrates: 20.59g | Protein: 2.09g | Fat: 12.04g
