Pleasing the Lord of Prosperity with ladoos

Indian food has something special for every occasion. Be it festivals or worshipping the gods, special dishes are a must. One such dish is ladoo.

When celebrating Ganesh Chaturthi, ladoo is a must for baby Ganesha just cannot be pleased without it!

But it is not just the modak but also other ladoos that shall appease the Lord this year. Boondi, besan, atta, gond, moong dal, sesame (til) and even dry fruits can be made into ladoos.

“Ladoos are a must during the festive time and also for poojas. In some cultures, prasad made out of wheat is not considered suitable to be offered to God so one can make suji ke ladoo,” says Chef Bishan Negi, chef de cuisine, Courtyard by Marriott.
Suji ke ladoo or rava ladoo sound different but are not difficult to make. Chef Bishan shares its recipe, “Boil suji with sugar and ghee till it gets sticky in texture. When the mixture has reached the right consistency, flavour it with cardamom. And after the mixture cools a little, make ladoos out of it.” These ladoos are light and the flavour of roasted suji tastes good.

Another one that can be tried for Ganesh pooja is til ke ladoo. Chef Bishan says, “Til goes very well with jaggery (gur) so all one needs to do is to melt jaggery and mix til in it. When the mixture cools a bit, make ladoos out of it.”

He also informs that for one kg of sugar, 250 grams of sugar is required in suji ladoo but since sesame tastes bland, jaggery must be added. Jaggery should be more than one and half times of til.

But what has to be kept in mind is the “temperature of the mixture while binding it. It should be neither too hot nor too cold so as to make perfect ladoos,” says Chef Bishen.

For those keeping Ganesha in their homes for the full eleven days, more varieties of ladoo can be added as offerings. Naariyal ke ladoo is one such option.
Chef Manoj Sharma, executive chef, Govinda’s says, “Mix one kilo naariyal ka burada (grated coconut) in two and a half kilos of sugar syrup. Let the mixture cool a little before attempting to bind ladoos.”

Another option that the chef suggests is Moong dal ke ladoo. “This takes a little time in preparation for the dal has to be soaked for 3-4 hours. It then needs to be ground and roasted in ghee. Add bura (ground sugar) to this mixture and after it melts, add dry fruits. One kilo of dal will require a 150 grams of sugar.”

The Chef warns that the sheera ghol (sugar syrup) needs to be prepared carefully and in exact thickness to ensure that the ladoos are bound well.
He adds, “While roasting any raw material, never leave it unattended or else the ladoo will end up having a burnt taste.”

Keep these precautions in mind and serve a new variant of ladoo to your favourite Ganesha this year!