Recipe: Gur Na Ladwa /Churma Laddoo
Gur Na Ladwa /Churma Laddoo is a common sweet made during Diwali by most Patel homes. Made from wheat flour, ghee, milk with spices and nuts added to the mixture. These delectable, melt in the mouth laddoos are made either with jaggery or sugar.
Diwali is incomplete without Gur Na Ladwa /Churma Laddoo
When Nunu, my MIL was living in Mombasa, Diwali lunch for all our relatives would be at our house and the menu would be gur na ladwa, tuvar dal, rice, a green vegetable, chana nu shaak and some sort of farsan. I use to help Nunu make the ladwas but after she started spending Diwali in Vrindavan, I didn’t have the courage to make them on my own.
Memories
2 years back, when I called my mum on Diwali, she asked me whether I had made ladwa. When I told her that I haven’t and joked with her that she never taught me how to make them, she scolded me and stated that during Diwali I should make them if not for ourselves but at least to offer them to God. 2 days after Diwali she passed on.
2012 Diwali, I tried out Nunu’s recipe for the first time and realised that its really not a big deal to make gur na ladwa.
This year 2013, in spite of not having too much time to prepare for Diwali (we had just got back from Canada), I made ladwa and was hoping that where ever my mum is, she would be smiling that her daughter does know how to make them. Diwali is long gone, but this was one recipe that I had to blog. As the saying goes ‘better late than never.’
Recipe Updated: 25 /10/2017
In a few days time it will be 6 years since my mum passed on. I miss her so much. My last conversation with her was when she scolded me for not making ladwa for Diwali. Since then I make them every year without fail. This Diwali was a terrible time for me as the maid disappeared just before Diwali week began. Many people living in the western world think we are spoilt having help at home. However, take it from me its different in Kenya and India. Here because of the dust (we get this black powder like crinkle) we need to dust, sweep and mop every single day. When I’m at my son’s home in Montreal or at my dad’s home in London, we don’t need to do that every day. Washing machines and dryers are added help in the western world. I have a washing machine for clothes but not for my dishes. Also unlike in the west, most homes in India and Kenya have to prepare at least 2 hot meals if not 3.
Anyway to top that I came down with a terrible flu accompanied by fever. However, still managed to make the ladwa. I know if I didn’t then the thought of what my mum said would haunt me till next Diwali.
Gur Na Ladwa/ Churma Laddoo
Some states in India, like Maharashtra, Gujarat and Rajasthan are well known for making these laddoo or churma. In Rajasthan, the wheat mixture is more or less the same but it is not formed into a laddoo or ball but served in a crumb state. Recipes will vary from state to state, home to home. I learnt how to add a lot more nut powders rather than just wheat flour from my MIL.
Ganesh Chaturthi
These laddoos are not just restricted to Diwali. It is common to find most Gujarati homes also making Chruma Laddoos with sugar or jaggery as an offering or prasadam to Lord Ganesha during the Ganesh Chaturthi Festival.
Some More Diwali/ Ganesh Chaturthi Recipes
Ingredients Required For Gur Na Ladwa/ Churma Laddoo
- Sooji – semolina. Don’t use the extra coarse variety.
- Wheat Flour – Atta, use normal wheat flour that we use for making roti. I have also used multigrain flour sometimes.
- Milk – warm
- Ghee – clarified butter. 3 tbsp is melted to form the dough. Rest you need the solid ghee to prepare the syrup with jaggery.
- Oil – enough for deep frying
- Sesame Seeds – tal.
- Dried Coconut – if you can use dried coconut (copra). However, if you don’t get that then use desiccated coconut.
- Coarse Almond Powder – best to use your food processor or manual grinder. I use the food processor and pulse in short bursts. Then I sieve the almonds. I store the fine powder for other use.
- Coarse Pistachio Powder – best to use your food processor or manual grinder
Poppy Seeds – white variety for adding in the laddoo mixture and coating them. If you don’t get poppy seeds, omit it and instead coat them with sesame seeds or with coarse nut powder. - Nutmeg Powder – jaiphal
- Mace Powder – javantri
- Cardamom Powder – elachi
- Saffron – kesar. Heat it slightly on a warm pan. When it is cool rub it with your fingers to powder it.
- Jaggery – don’t use the hard and very dark variety. You need soft or powdered jaggery.
GUR NA LADWA (CHURMA LADDOO)
Ingredients
For the dough:
- ¾ cup semolina
- ½ cup wheat flour
- 3 tbsp ghee melted and hot
- ½ cup milk warm
- oil for deep frying
Other Ingredients To Add To The Churma:
- ¼ cup sesame seeds
- ½ cup desiccated coconut
- ½ cup almond powder coarse
- ¼ cup pistachio powder coarse
- 2 tbsps poppy seeds
- 1 tsp nutmeg powder
- 1½ tsp cardamom powder
- ¼ tsp saffron powder
Ingredients For The Jaggery Syrup:
- 1 - 1¼ cup soft or grated jaggery
- 4 - 6 tbsp ghee solid part
For Garnishing:
- ½ cup poppy seeds optional
Instructions
Preparation Of The Dough:
- To prepare the dough, mix the semolina and wheat flour.
- Rub the 3 tbsps of hot ghee into the flour.
- Add milk and form a dough. Let the dough rest for 30 minutes.
Preparation Of The Add Ons:
- While the dough is resting roast the pista powder, almond powder, coconut, poppy seeds and sesame seeds separately over low heat in a wok or pan.
- Let the roasted ingredients cool down.
Frying The Dough:
- Divide the dough into 6 parts. Roll each part into a ball. Press the ball in your fist to make a elongated shape. These are called muthias.
- Heat oil over medium heat. Drop a tiny piece into the oil. It should come up immediately if the oil is ready.
- Drop the muthias into the hot oil. Lower the heat and fry the dough till they are golden brown.
- Make sure you turn them constantly so that they brown evenly.
Preparation Of The Churma:
- Let the muthias become cold. Process them in a chopper or grinder. The ground muthias should resemble breadcrumbs.
- Grind the roasted sesame seeds coarsely.
- Add pista powder, almond powder, cardamom powder, nutmeg powder, saffron powder, sesame seed powder, poppy seeds and desiccated coconut to the ground muthia mixture.This is called churma. Mix it well.
Preparation Of The Jaggery Syrup:
- Take a wide pan or wok or karai and add the gur and ghee into it.
- Heat the gur and ghee mixture over low heat, stirring it constantly.
- The gur will melt and when it begins to bubble at the sides.
- Take the pan off the heat as soon as you see the bubbles at the sides.
Preparation Of Gur Na Ladwa/ Churma Laddoo
- Add the churma mixture to the melted gur and mix well.
- Start making ladoos as soon as the mixture is cool enough to handle.
- Take about 2 heaped tablespoonfuls of the mixture and make it into a ball using your hand. Place the ball on the palm of one hand and with the other make it into a dome shape.
- Repeat with the remaining mixture.
- Sprinkle khus khus over the laddoos or roll them in it. Or can leave them plain.
- Serve when they are cold and set completely. It takes about 6-8 hours for them to set. Must not crumble as soon as you pick them up. The ghee used becomes solid which helps to hold the shape of the laddoos.
- It takes about 6-8 hours for them to set. Must not crumble as soon as you pick them up. The ghee used becomes solid which helps to hold the shape of the laddoos.
Notes
- Don't let the gur caramelise too much otherwise the ladoos will be hard.
- Work fast in making the ladoos as when the mixture becomes cold, it is difficult to form them into a ball. If you cannot make the dome shape, leave them round. If need be ask someone to help you so the process is faster.
- These days laddoo moulds are available. Use it for easy shaping.
- If you don't get khus khus, you can omit it. Use sesame seeds or nut powder or leave them plain.
- I use one cup of grated or soft gur, but if you like the ladoos to be sweeter, add ¼ cup more.
- Use the more whiter variety of gur as opposed to the dark one. If you use the dark one, the laddoos will turn out very dark.
- After frying the muthias, break them into smaller pieces so that they cool down faster.
- Adjust the spices according to your taste.
- If you find it difficult to shape the ladoos, add more ghee.
Pin For Later:
A little request:
If you do try this recipe then please either
- add a comment below,
- send a picture to my email mayuri.ajay.patel62@gmail.com
- tag me as #mayuri_jikoni on Instagram
- or tag me on Twitter as #Mayuri1962