Wednesday, October 8, 2014

Mixed Nuts and Ragi-Rawa Ladoos

Mixed Nuts and Ragi-Rawa Ladoos

I am always looking for ways to make healthy treats in a jiffy. One day my toddler asked me to make some "ladoos", a sweet made in India for festive occasions and for a quick afternoon snack. Traditionally, ladoos are made using a significant amount of ghee and sugar. I decided to whip up some ladoos for the family using "ragi flour" and ground peanuts and almonds. These ladoos make a great snack and provide protein and energy to active toddlers. Moreover, jaggery and cardamom add a very earthy flavor to these wonderful and traditional sweets.

You will need:

1/4 cup shredded jaggery and powdered brown sugar each
1/3 cup of ground almonds and roasted peanuts
1/4 cup ragi flour
3/4 cups rawa (semolina)
1 tsp cardamom
A few saffron threads (optional)
3 tbsp fresh ghee
1.5 cups of water

Roast the rawa and ragi in a skillet with 1 tsp of ghee. Once roasted, add the mixture of ground nuts and the remaining ghee. Stir thoroughly and add the cardamom. In a saucepan, heat the water with the jaggery and sugar. Once the water comes to a rolling boil, reduce the heat and continue to boil this sugar syrup until it reduces to about a cup in volume. Add a few saffron threads to the water. Now add the sugar syrup to the skillet and mix the nut/ragi/rawa mixture with the water. The rawa will cook slightly. Continue mixing until the rawa softens in the heat of the water. Let the mixture cool. Mix with your hands and roll into small balls. Place a raisin on each ladoo. These should last for a few days at room temperature (in a steel container) or in the refrigerator (please do not cover them, place them in a plate).

Enjoy!