AI-generated image
Bandar laddu
Gram flour and jaggery balls
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
Shop this recipe on Amazon
Links open Amazon in a new tab. As an Amazon Associate, WhatToEat.Today earns from qualifying purchases.
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).
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.
Rate this recipe
Sign in to rate and review this recipe.
You might also like
SakarpadaSweet fried dough diamonds
Sakarpada (shakarpara) are little sweet diamonds of a rich dough made with ghee, milk and sugar, fried until golden and crunchy. They are a Diwali favourite with tea, and the cubes go into bhusu too. They keep for weeks in an air-tight tin.
Paneer biryaniRice and moong dal in coconut milk
A mild, creamy biryani: rice and husked green gram roasted in ghee, then cooked in coconut milk with peas, carrots, potatoes, peanuts and cashews, and finished with soft fried paneer and a fresh coriander yogurt. Serve hot, garnished with more fried cashews and paneer.
Sabudana khichdiSago with peanuts and potato
Sabudana khichdi is the dish that sees Maharashtra through every vrat (fast), from Navratri to Ekadashi, but it's so good that people eat it any day of the week. Soaked sago pearls are tossed in a pan with crushed roasted peanuts, cubes of potato, cumin and green chilli until each pearl turns glassy and separate, then finished with lemon and coriander. It's soft, chewy, nutty and gently hot. Fasting rules vary from family to family, so check yours; this version uses rock salt and no asafoetida, onion or garlic. Traditionally it's cooked in ghee; use ghee instead of oil if you aren't keeping it vegan. Chef's tip: soak the sago in just enough water to cover by the height of the pearls themselves, no more; too much water is the reason khichdi turns into one sticky lump.
