Black Sesame and Oats Ladoo: Indian Sweet Energy Balls
- Total Time: 10 mins
- Yield: 12 ladoos
Description
Black sesame ladoo recipe is a popular sweet in many parts of India and is normally prepared in winter.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) black sesame seeds
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) Oats
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) groundnuts + almonds
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) grated jaggery
- 2 tbsp. Ghee
- 1 tsp. cardamom powder
Instructions
- Dry roast sesame seeds (till), oats, groundnuts and almonds in a non-stick pan for 3-4 minutes and take it out.
- Powder all the above in a blender when slightly warm.
- Add grated jaggery, cardamom powder add ghee in the powder and mix well. The mixture should be slightly warm when adding jaggery to it.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: Indian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 ladoos
- Calories: 120
If you've been to any Indian sweet shop, ladoo are the sweet balls you see stacked in pyramids behind the glass, and across northern India this black sesame version is the winter version. It's super simple, because there's very little cooking involved and nothing has to set. You roast, you grind, you squeeze it into balls, and they are ready.
Start by dry roasting half a cup of black sesame seeds with a quarter cup of oats and a quarter cup of peanuts and almonds together in a pan. Three or four minutes is enough, because you are just waking the sesame up, not browning it, and you will smell when it happens.
Then tip the lot into a blender, still hot from the pan, and grind it to a coarse powder. Add grated jaggery, which is unrefined cane sugar with a molasses edge, a teaspoon of cardamom powder and two spoons of ghee, and work it all together with your hands.
Keep everything warm while you work. Jaggery softens into a warm mixture and binds it. If you get distracted and it cools down on you, put it back in the pan for a minute over a low heat and carry on. No harm done!
Enjoy!
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is jaggery and can I substitute regular sugar?
Jaggery is an unrefined cane sugar common in Indian cooking — it has a deep, caramel-like molasses flavour quite different from regular granulated sugar. I use ¼ cup grated jaggery; if unavailable, dark brown sugar is the closest substitute, though the flavour will be slightly milder.
Why must the mixture be slightly warm when adding the jaggery?
The powdered sesame-oat mixture should still be slightly warm when you mix in the grated jaggery. That warmth softens the jaggery enough for it to bind the mixture together with the 2 tbsp of ghee, allowing the ladoos to hold their ball shape.
