Gond Ke Laddu
Traditional Indian edible gum ladoo made with puffed gond, roasted whole wheat flour, ghee, nuts, and jaggery. A winter and postpartum staple.
Equipment
- Heavy kadhai or pan
- Slotted spoon
- Rolling pin (or mixer for pulsing)
Ingredients
For the ladoo
- 1 cup edible gum (gond) cleaned
- 2 cups whole wheat flour (atta)
- 1 to 1.5 cups ghee plus extra for greasing palms
- 3/4 to 1 cup jaggery powder or boora/powdered sugar, adjust to taste
- 1/2 cup mixed nuts (almonds, cashews, pistachios) roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoons melon seeds or sesame seeds optional, for crunch
- 1/2 teaspoon dry ginger powder (saunth)
- 1/2 teaspoon cardamom powder
- pinch nutmeg powder optional
Instructions
Puff the gond
- Heat 2 to 3 tablespoons of ghee in a heavy kadhai or pan on medium heat.
- Add the gond in small batches, not all at once. It will puff up almost instantly, similar to popcorn.
- Fry until fully puffed, light, and crisp. Test one piece: crush it between your fingers. It should crumble into powder, not stay hard or sticky in the center.
- Remove the puffed gond with a slotted spoon and let it cool completely, then crush it coarsely with a rolling pin or in short pulses in a mixer.
Roast the flour
- In the remaining ghee, add the whole wheat flour. Roast on low to medium heat, stirring almost constantly, for 15 to 20 minutes.
- You'll know it's ready when the color turns a deep golden brown, the kitchen smells nutty, and the ghee starts to separate slightly at the edges of the pan.
Combine and shape
- Turn off the heat. Add the chopped nuts, seeds, saunth, cardamom, and nutmeg to the roasted flour. Mix well.
- Add the crushed gond and mix thoroughly so everything is evenly distributed.
- Let the mixture cool until warm, not hot, before adding the jaggery powder. If the mixture is too hot, the jaggery melts into it and the ladoos turn wet and won't hold their shape.
- Once warm, add the jaggery powder and mix until fully combined.
- Grease your palms with a little ghee. While the mixture is still warm, take small portions and press firmly into balls. They'll look a little rustic and uneven, which is normal.
- Let the ladoos cool completely and firm up before storing.
Notes
Getting the gond right: if your gond stays hard after frying, your ghee wasn't hot enough. If it browns too fast without puffing, the ghee was too hot. Medium heat and small batches give you the most control.
Timing the jaggery: always wait until the mixture is warm, not hot, before adding jaggery, or the ladoos will turn wet and won't hold their shape.
Sugar swap: powdered sugar or boora works if you don't have jaggery on hand or prefer a lighter color, though the flavor will be less caramel-like.
Gluten-free swap: substitute the whole wheat flour with an equal amount of gluten-free flour blend or ragi (finger millet) flour. The texture will be slightly denser.
Storage: store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 weeks, or in the refrigerator for up to 2 months.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!