Pajama "Pop in the Mouth" ladoos : Rose Day special

Peanut Urad Daal ladoo : I have already posted the recipe of Peanut ladoo earlier :
http://cookininpajamas.blogspot.in/2013/10/peanut-ladoos.html
This time when my mother visited me, she gave me this idea of adding Urad daal to peanut ladoos. This, i suppose is a south indian combination and one of her office colleagues had mentioned about this to her.

Grown in southern parts of Asia, Urad daal ( also known as Black gram or Black daal ) has numerous health benefits. Its extremely high protein content makes it a hit with workout-enthusiasts. It is rich in fibre, and hence easy to digest too. It boosts energy in your body, and it's good amount of iron content, makes it a must-have for women!!!

My husband is not much of a urad daal fan, if cooked in a normal way ! So i thought this is a great idea to incorporate Urad daal in our diet, as ladoos are a favourite sweet of his and can be popped in the mouth anytime of the day!!!

Now what's the "Pajama twist" to it is, i added "Gulkand" to it...That makes it extremely healthy, nutritious and more yummmyyyy.... Everyone loves Gulkand and it has some good health benefits too...You can make and store this for a week at room temperature in winters, and in summers, keep them in the refrigerator after 2-3 days ( lasts for about a week or so )

Ingredients :

The ingredients are same as peanut ladoos, the only addition is gulkand and urad daal.
Peanut Powder - 1 cup ( Dry roast peanuts till light brown, remove their skin and then grind it to a powder in mixer. Make sure you grind it slowly and check in between, otherwise it starts oozing oil and powder turns sticky. You can make ladoos even with the sticky mixture, but a course powder tastes better than the sticky one )

Jaggery - 1 cup ( If you are adding powdered sugar, add 3/4 cup or according to taste. The powdered sugar has to be little coarse and not too smooth )

Urad daal powder - 1 cup ( Dry roast Urad daal till it turns brown. Grind to a fine powder after cooling. Sieve the powder.

Cardamom powder - 1 tsp

Ghee - 3 tbsp

Gulkand - According to taste ( to stuff in the ladoos )

Recipe :

Mix Peanut powder and Urad daal powder well. If needed, give a pulse in the mixer-grinder together.

Now add the jaggery ( or powdered sugar ) and cardamom powder.

Now add the ghee and mix it all well.

Make small round balls ( ladoos ). While rolling the ladoo, make a small hole in the center with your finger... Add little gulkand and then press it well inside ( so it doesn't come out ) 

Pajama Pop in the mouth ladoos are ready !!!

Happy Cooking :)

Peanut Ladoo : From Guddu :)

The word "Ladoo" reminds me of one of my Rakhi brothers who calls me "Guddu". I think he named me that from the word "Gudiya". So here's a sweet recipe for my sweet brother Prashant Batar :)

Ladoos or Laddus are all-time sweet that you can make and store in your kitchen. You dont need a special reason ( a festival or an occassion )to make one. Normally, all ladoos have ghee as an ingredient, so storing them for a minimum of 1 week is not an issue too. We have already made Coconut ladoos... Today we will make these melt-in-the-mouth Peanut ladoos. We maharashtrians call it "Shengdanyache ladoo" ( Sheng-dana is peanut in marathi language). They are also called "Shing na ladoo" in gujrathi. I normally make them and store them in an air tight container ( need not refrigerate) and is a part of my husband's snack-box every alternate day !! An easy-healthy recipe for his sweet tooth!!! 

Peanuts offer a variety of health benefits. They are a very good source of monosaturated fats, which is good for a healthy heart. They also contain Vitamin E, proteins and recently i read, that Peanuts not only contain oleic acid, a healthy fat found in Olive oil, but they are also rich in antioxidants. 
I love making recipes with Peanuts and they are an essential bit in my monthly grocery list. They can be eaten as whole, crushed, powdered, boiled, roasted...In any form they taste great!!

Peanuts can be made into chutneys, a sandwich filling in the form of Peanut Butter, or even into daal. Yes, my mother makes this yummyliscious Peanut daal that one has during Fasting. Peanut is one of the ingredients that is allowed to eat when one fasts, along with fruits, milk, sweet potatoes etc etc. We kids never fasted but used to love eating all the "fast-food " ( food allowed during fasting ) that was cooked at home. I am surely going to take the recipe of Peanut Daal from my mother and post it soon. Crushed peanuts are also made into chikkis and cookies. Ground peanut powder is used in various dishes like sabudana khichdi, some vadas or even curries or sabzis to get thicker consistency and a different taste. I even like to add roasted peanuts to breakfast recipes like upma and poha ! And how can we forget the peanut chaat with lemon juice and our favourite "Pepper"!!!! Yummm...

Peanut Ladoos can be made in different ways. You can add jaggery or powdered sugar. I always add and prefer jaggery over sugar, for the health benefits and also for the taste. You can add nuts or dry fruits according to your choice, either sliced or even powdered. You can even add cardamom powder or dry ginger powder or keep them plain and simple without much additions. They taste delicious either ways.

Ingredients :

Peanut powder - 1 cup. (Dry roast peanuts till light brown, remove their skin and then grind it to a powder in mixer. Make sure you grind it slowly and check in between, otherwise it starts oozing oil and powder turns sticky. You can make ladoos even with the sticky mixture, but a coarse powder tastes better than the sticky one )

Jaggery - 3/4 cup. (If you are adding powdered sugar, add 1/2 cup or according to taste. The powdered sugar has to be little coarse and not too smooth.)

Ghee - 2 tbsp

Almonds - 4-5 sliced into thin strips ( you can even add cashews or nuts of your choice)

Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp ( optional)

Recipe :

Mix Peanut powder with jaggery or powdered sugar well.

Add sliced almonds. Keep some aside for garnishing ladoos on top.

Add the cardamom powder and 1 tbsp ghee.

Mix the mixture well and then add the other 1 tbsp ghee. The mixture is ready.

Roll into small round balls ( apply little ghee on hand or palm if needed ) and garnish with almond on top.

Happy Cooking :)

Coconut ladoos

"The best thing about having a sister is having a best friend forever". I love this quote and by God's grace, i have been blessed by some of the very sweet sisters as cousins. They have been there with me through thick and thin and they always lend a silent support in everything i do. Just when i started this food blog, i really got some encouraging statements by one of my little sister and another sent me a list of recipes to try out ! One such sister is Mrinalini Kulkarni ( we call her Mona tai - Tai in Marathi language means elder sister).

Monatai and me have grown up together. We used to eat in one plate, wore each other's clothes, shared all the deepest secrets and yet, given each other the space we needed individually. She is married to a loving husband and has 2 beautiful children now. Just a few days back, i had mentioned her about me having 1/2 a tin of condensed milk ( the other 1/2 i had used in making kheer) and what do i do with it, when she gave me this easy quick recipe of coconut ladoos. So this one's dedicated to Monatai.

Coconut ladoos is a melt in your mouth recipe that you can make for special occassions like Ganesh Chaturthi, Navratri or any festival. Now that Diwali is coming, i thought to post this recipe. Its a good substitute to the besan and rava ladoos that are normally made in every home ( though they taste yummy too!!! ). Try this 4-ingredient recipe and your ladoos are ready in no time !!! :)

Ingredients :

Condensed milk ( Milkmaid ) - 1/2 tin

Dessicated coconut - 2 cups ( you get readymade packets in market)

Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp ( optional )

Pistachios - Chopped lengthwise ( to garnish )

Recipe :

Heat a pan and mix condensed milk with 1 n 1/2 cup of dessicated coconut ( keep the half cup aside ) and keep stirring it on low flame. The mixture will start leaving the sides of pan.

Add cardamom powder. 

Remove from heat and let it cool.

Take the remaining dessicated coconut in a plate. Roll small ladoos of the mixture into this coconut. If the mixture is sticking to your hand, apply little oil on palm.

Garnish with pistachios.

Happy cooking :)