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Bandar laddu
బందరు లడ్డు: Machilipatnam's dense laddu of roasted gram flour, jaggery and ghee
Bandar laddu is named after Bandar, the old name of Machilipatnam on the Andhra coast, and it is the sweet families carry home after a trip there, offer at Sankranti and give at weddings. Gram-flour pearls are fried, then pounded with jaggery syrup and ghee until the mixture turns dense, smooth and fudgy, unlike the grainy besan laddu of the north. The common mistake is not cooking the jaggery syrup far enough: it needs to reach the soft-ball stage, or the laddus slump and turn sticky. Chef's tip: pound the mix while it is still warm, in batches, in a heavy mortar or food processor, until it clumps when pressed.
- Total time
- 60 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 12
Ingredients
For the boondi
- 9 oz gram flour (besan)
- 1 cup wateras needed
- 2 ½ cups ghee or neutral oil for deep-frying
For binding
- 9 oz jaggerygrated
- ¼ cup water
- 2 ⅞ oz gheemelted
- 1 tsp ground cardamom
- 1 oz cashewschopped and toasted
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Whisk 9 oz gram flour (besan) and 1 cup water to a thick, smooth batter that falls in a ribbon.
5 minStep 2: Heat 2 ½ cups ghee or neutral oil for deep-frying in a kadhai or deep pan, filling it no more than a third of the way, to 350°F; a pinch of dough or batter dropped in should rise straight up and sizzle hard. Never leave the hot fat unattended.
5 minStep 3: Hold a perforated spoon over the oil and tap batter through it. Fry the pearls for 2–3 minutes until crisp and golden, lift out and drain. Repeat with all the batter.
15 minStep 4: Cool the boondi, then grind or pound it in batches to a coarse powder.
8 minStep 5: Simmer 9 oz jaggery and ¼ cup water over low heat until melted, strain out any grit, then boil for 5–7 minutes to the soft-ball stage: a drop in cold water forms a soft ball you can pick up.
8 minStep 6: Pour the syrup over the powder with 2 ⅞ oz ghee, 1 tsp ground cardamom and 1 oz cashews. Pound or pulse while warm until the mixture is smooth, glossy and holds firmly when squeezed.
8 minStep 7: Shape into 24 tight laddus while still warm. Cool and store airtight for 2 weeks.
15 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 250 kcal
- Protein
- 5 g
- Carbs
- 28 g
- Fat
- 13 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does bandar laddu take?
- About 60 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 40 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 12 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of jaggery?
- Dark brown or muscovado sugar, same amount.
- What can I use instead of ghee?
- Butter, same amount (keep the heat a little lower, butter burns sooner).
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