Tal and Mixed Nuts Ladoo

January 21, 2014mayurisjikoni

Uttarayan – a colourful festival

The Sweet Fantasy Club’s number 4 challenge (started by Preeti of simply tadka) was til ladoos and churros. Til laddoos, very easy I thought. However, for Makar Sankranti or Uttarayan as Gujaratis call it, I usually make the mixture and let it set in a tray. So easy, as you just cut the mixture into squares or diamond shapes. However, making these laddoos was a challenge. Rolling the hot mixture was no joke. I made it a bit difficult because I wanted small laddoos. Well I did manage the task and my hubby has asked me to make them again! I used my own recipe of tal sankari but made slight changes to the recipe. I added more of mixed nuts and the end result was delicious and more healthy. I wanted to add some black sesame seeds(til, tal) but I couldn’t find them. So had to do with the normal sesame seeds.

TAL AND MIXED NUTS LADDOOS
Makes about 24

½ cup roasted sesame seeds (til, tal)
¼ cup whole almonds
¼ cup whole cashew nuts
¼ cup whole walnuts
¼ cup whole pistachios without the shell
¾ cup grated or soft gur (jaggery)
1 tbsp ghee (clarified butter)
1 tsp cardamom powder (elachi)
1 tsp milk

extra ghee for rubbing

To roast the sesame seeds, heat a wide pan over low heat. Add the seeds and keep on stirring constantly till they begin to pop. Remove the seeds from the pan into a plate and let it cool.
Roast the nuts in a pan over low heat, shaking the pan frequently. I prefer to roast them separately. Let the nuts cool down a bit.
Grind the nuts into a coarse powder.
Mix the nut powder, sesame seeds and cardamom powder together.
Grease a plate or tray with a bit of ghee.
Put ghee in a non stick or heavy bottomed pan and heat it over low heat. Add the jaggery. Mix it constantly, till it melts and begins to bubble at the edges. Add the milk and mix well.
Immediately add the nut and tal mixture to the melted jaggery and mix well.
Take the pan off the heat.
When you can handle the hot mixture, grease your hands and take a tablespoonful of the mixture and roll it into a ball.
Place it on the greased tray or plate.
Repeat steps 9 and 10 till the mixture is over.
Let the laddoos set for 1 hour.

Tips:

If the mixture becomes too cold to form into balls or laddoos, add about ½ tsp milk and heat it gently over low heat. Remember to stir the mixture. Heat it just enough so that you can work with it.
Don’t heat it too much as the jaggery will caramelise and the laddoos will become hard.
Add nuts of your choice.
Can roast the nuts and sesame seeds in the oven at a low setting (100°C) for 15 to 20 minutes.

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