Besan Laddoos, Sweet Dumplings

For besan laddoo

1. Sieve the besan/ gram flour through a fine sieve, set aside.
2. Coarsely grind cashew and almond to small bits/pieces.
3. In a kadai/ thick bottom wok type pan melt ghee. Add the sieved besan, cook over very low flame till besan is no longer raw and emits a nice aroma. Keep stirring with a steel spatula. This may take around 15 to 20 mins.
4. Add in the cardamom powder, fine chopped cashew and almonds. Stir and take it off heat.
5. Let this besan mixture cool for some time till it turns just warm. Then add the powdered sugar and mix well with hands.
6. Note – If the besan mixture is too hot, it will turn too moist when sugar is added or if at room temperature, sugar will not melt at all and you will not be able to shape into balls. So let the mixture be just warm
7. Shape the mixture into walnut sized balls. Store in an airtight container at room temperature. Serve straight out of the box as is or with some chilled or warm eggless vanilla custard!

For vanilla custard

1. Mix vanilla custard powder with 2 tbsp milk.
2. Put remaining milk to boil. When it comes to a boil add the sugar and stir to dissolve. Taste and adjust sweetness as per taste.
3. Add the custard paste while stirring constantly to avoid lumps. Stir and let heat till the mixture thickens i.e. coats the back of a spoon.
4. Remove from heat and add vanilla essence. Cool and then refrigerate to chill. Serve chilled custard with besan laddoos or chopped fresh fruits.