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Kanpur khoya and suji laddu
Kanpur's famous sweet-shop laddu (ठग्गू के लड्डू style) of ghee-roasted semolina, khoya and cashews
Kanpur's best-known sweet is a crumbly, rich laddu sold in brown paper boxes near the city's busy crossings and taken home as a souvenir from the city. It is made by roasting semolina slowly in ghee until it smells like warm biscuits, then mixing in browned khoya, sugar and plenty of cashews, giving a soft, melt-in-the-mouth bite with tiny pieces of crunch. Families make a batch for Diwali or Raksha Bandhan and keep it for a week. The biggest mistake is adding the sugar while the mixture is still hot; it melts and the laddus collapse into flat puddles. Chef's tip: if the mixture feels too dry to bind, sprinkle in warm milk a teaspoon at a time rather than adding more ghee.
- Total time
- 45 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 9
Ingredients
Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Melt the 2 ⅝ oz ghee in a heavy pan over low heat. Add the 5 ½ oz fine semolina (suji) and roast, stirring constantly, for 12–15 minutes until it turns pale gold, loose and sandy and smells like biscuits.
15 minStep 2: Tip the semolina into a wide bowl. In the same pan, warm the rest of the ⅞ oz ghee and fry the 1 ⅜ oz cashew nuts on low heat for 2 minutes until light golden; add them to the semolina.
2 minStep 3: Add the 7 oz khoya (mawa) to the pan and roast on low heat, stirring constantly, for 8–10 minutes until it loosens and turns light beige with a nutty smell.
10 minStep 4: Mix the khoya into the semolina and leave to cool for 15 minutes, stirring once or twice, until just warm to the touch.
15 minStep 5: Add the 5 ½ oz powdered sugar and ¾ tsp ground green cardamom and mix with your fingertips until evenly combined. Squeeze a handful; if it doesn't hold, sprinkle in the 2 tbsp warm milk a teaspoon at a time.
3 minStep 6: Press firmly into 18 round laddus. Let them set for 30 minutes before serving; they keep for up to a week in an airtight box.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 330 kcal
- Protein
- 6 g
- Carbs
- 36 g
- Fat
- 18 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does kanpur khoya and suji laddu take?
- About 45 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 9 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- 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 ghee?
- Butter, same amount (keep the heat a little lower, butter burns sooner).
- What can I use instead of cashew nuts?
- Almonds or peanuts, same amount.
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