Besan Ladoo

When I first tried Besan Ladoo (or Laddu) I was amazed, you will be too.

Years ago, I was in charge of making them in a wonderful Curry restaurant here in Austria, and it was my favorite task to create this delicious dessert.

Besan Laddu is a treat, a confectionery made from an incredible ingredient, which is hard to guess… its main ingredient is chickpea flour. And trust me, they taste heavenly, not like these so-called “healthy protein cookie dough bliss balls” that taste, well, not good.

These treats are delicious and quite literally a protein bomb. Since garbanzos are legumes/pulses, their taste is astringent. To balance the drying quality of this astringency, this recipe contains coconut oil. You can also diminish the drying effect in your body, by enjoying them with a Chai Latte or another warming spiced milk of choice. Find some ideas here, like my Rooibos Rose Latte , Summer Moon Milk, or Ayurvedic Golden Milk. The key is not to just sip a tea, but something with a (plant-based) milk. Milk is more nourishing and moistening, while drinking tea mostly is astringent and drying as well.

This is an occasional, vegan treat with heart-opening cardamom and sacred rose water, a perfect blend for special celebrations.

The recipe creates about 25 pieces. This recipe takes about 25 minutes to make and setting them overnight adds some more hours. You can shorten this time by putting them in the fridge for an hour and letting them come to room temperature within 20 minutes before cutting. Otherwise, they will break easily.

Here is what you will need.

INGREDIENTS

-       250 g gram flour (best are Indian flours)

-       200 g coconut oil

-       110 g powdered whole cane sugar (make your own in a blender)

-       100 g husked sesame seeds

-       1 tsp freshly ground cardamom

-       1/8 tsp rock salt

-       2 tbsp sacred rose water (find a recipe here)

-       optional: rose petals

INSTRUCTIONS

Melt the coconut oil in a big pan on low heat and add the chickpea flour.

Constantly stir the mixture. As soon as a nutty flavor arises, it is ready to be put off the flame. This can take 10-20 minutes depending on your pan and the heat on your stovetop.

Now, you can then add sesame, cardamom, salt, sugar and rose water.

When well mixed, you can place the mass into a mold with parchment paper and let it cool – best overnight. You can let them set at room temperature, a fridge is not really necessary.

You can garnish them with rose petals and cut them into pieces or form balls, whatever you prefer.

Enjoy with people that are dear to your heart.

Did you know that the sweet taste is recognized by the tip of your tongue, which is connected to your heart? This is a perfect gift for loved ones during Valentine’s day, or as we say it in México “Día Del Amor Y De La Amistad" (day of love and friendship).

Don’t forget to eat a tiny piece of dessert (or the sweet taste in general: grains, dairy, sweet vegetables) first. By taking a bite of anything sweet first you will first of all stop hangriness (especially great for individuals with a lot of Pitta dosha), as well as kick-start your digestive secretions. Your digestive system needs most time to digest the sweet taste, if you eat something sweet last, it will slow down digestion. By enjoying it first, you can therefore actually aid your digestion. This doesn’t mean you should indulge in a full slice of cake, just a little bite of a Laddu (or the governing sweet taste on your plate) is enough.

With love,

Lisa