Wheat Flour Semolina Ladoo made from Gudd (jaggery)… Gujju Style;)

Ganapati Bapa Moriya! Ladoo's for Ganpati Bappa on Viserjan!

One more sweet dish / bhog dish. One of the family favorite.  Ladoo / Ladu (in gujarati) made from a wheat flour semolina, Jaggery, nuts, and clarified butter (ghee). From my childhood I remember this dish made by my mom during Ganesh Utsav and many other occasions. This dish isnot only made in my family. But it's made by hundreds of families in Gujarat. 

As they say Ganapati Bapa loves Modak / Ladoo….so do I and my family. The moment I get a thought to make them, my mouth starts watering. They are so easy & simple to make. As a child, I always felt, while helping my mom in kitchen, that rolling Ladoo is the most easy work. But before rolling them we have to do little process ahead.

As you all might be thinking Wheat Flour Semolina must be something we can buy from market. But that's not true. Actually one has to buy coarse wheat flour from the market and after a process you can make semolina out of it. My step by step recipe will explain you how to make "Semolina" out of wheat flour. 

In a bowl add oil and mix Coarse wheat flour by rubbing with your palm so that the oil is evenly spread into the flour. Now add milk or water (I have used milk) slowly into to the flour as required and form it into a dough. The dough should be not too soft or not too hard….it should be like a paratha / cookie dough. You can use food processor or dough maker to form the dough. Once the dough is formed make even parts of it and roll them in your fist. So the dough will be shaped in a fist form or balls. Now heat Ghee / Clarified butter in a frying pan and shallow fry the dough parts in it at medium heat until they turn into golden red color. Once all the fist shaped / rolled dough is cooked, break it into two pieces and let it cool for 10 minutes. Then put them into a dry mixing blender or food processor and grind it until it become even and fine like a Semolina.

Now as your Semolina is ready from wheat flour, remove it in a mixing bowl from the blender. Heat the ghee again and add jaggery(Gudd) to it. As the jaggery (Gudd) starts melting add Raisins, broken cashews into it. As the jaggery (Gudd) melts, it will start rising. Shut the heat off as soon as you see the jaggery (Gudd) rising. Let the mixture cool for 2-3mins and then add it into the Semolina flour. Add Cardamom powder & nutmeg powder into it. Start forming round even size ball or ladoo out of it. Garnish it with dry shredded coconut and saffron. 

Enjoy this delicious mouthwatering Ladoo:)

STEP BY STEP RECIPE:

Ingredients:

1 cup Coarse Wheat Flour

1 tbsp. Oil

1/4 cup + 1 tbsp. milk / water

3-4 tbsp. Ghee / Clarified Butter

1 cup + 1 tbsp. shredded or crushed Jaggery (Gudd)

 1/4 tsp. Cardamom powder

1/4 tsp. nutmeg powder

1 tbsp. Raisins (Optional)

1 tbsp. Broken Cashews (Optional)

1 tbsp. chopped Almonds (Optional)

1 tbsp. of Shredded dry / fresh coconut for garnish (Optional)

1 pinch of Saffron for garnish (Optional)

Instructions: 

• In Coarse wheat flour add oil and rub it with palm to spread oil evenly in flour
• Add milk / water as required to form the dough
• Make even parts of dough and form them into fist shape
• Heat Ghee or clarified butter / oil in a pan and shallow fry the fist shape dough
• Fry them till golden and red in color
• Once fried…Cool them to room temperature for 5-10 mins
• Blend them into a mixer / food process till fine semolina is formed
• Heat the leftover clarified ghee as required and add jaggery(Gudd) into it
• Add Raisings, Cashews and almonds into the jaggery mixture
• Heat them until the jaggery(Gudd) is raised and separated from Ghee.
• Cool it for 5-7mins.
• Add the jiggery(Gudd) mixture into Wheat Semolina 
• Add Cardamom & Nutmeg powder into it.
• Mix well and form round balls / Ladoo out of it
• Garnish them with shredded coconut powder & Saffron
• Enjoy!

Variation: You can make same Ladoo out of Sugar instead of Gudd (Jaggery). For Sugar Ladoo, do not heat the Ghee (clarified butter)....Recipe coming soon.

Also, You can also bake the dough like a cookie in oven at 180degree C for 25 mins or until the cookie dough is baked from inside and turns golden brown from outside.