Gorging into this round, sweet and colourful delights called ladoo is exactly how we define pure love. Agree or not, if we had an option to select our national sweet, we would have named ladoo as one of the strongest contenders among many others. It is a ubiquitous sweet that is prepared every time during a festival, a family function or any other occasion. What makes ladoo a special sweet is its versatility. It can be made with different ingredients and in fact, every Indian region has a variety of its own. But did ladoos actually originate to be savoured as treats? Interestingly not! Read on as we tell you.
The origin of ladoos was more because the ingredients that were used had exceptional medicinal properties and were given to women during pregnancy and further to replenish the lost nutrients in their body after giving birth. It is also believed that these ladoos were given to teenage girls to keep their raging hormones under control. Many ladoos were spicy more than sweet. Ladoos made with sesame seeds, jaggery, sonth and peanuts loaded with ghee were made as a healthy treatment more than any indulgence. Eventually, the experiments with different condiments began and then came besan ke ladoo, boondi ke ladoo, rava ke ladoo and nariyal ke ladoo among others from different regions. Although ladoos are still prevalent in treating pregnant women, however, it is more popular as a sweet that all of us love.
(Also read: Thaggoo ke Ladoo: This Sweet Shop has Been Cheating Its Customers, But Why?)
What makes ladoo a special sweet is its versatility
Now that you know the background of ladoos, let us take you through 10 best ladoo recipes that will force you to gorge on to these delights.
Recipe by Chef A. Shanthi
Finger Millets (Ragi) are grown in the Himalayas and are usually inter-cropped with peanuts. Here’s a yummy ladoo recipe from the wholesome, healthy produce with coconut, jaggery and crunchy peanuts.
Recipe by Chef Niru Gupta
Gram flour or besan roasted with ghee in a kadhai, flavored with sugar and cardamom and shaped into tight round balls, decorated with almonds and pistachios. Besan ka ladoo is an Indian dessert usually made during festive times.
Recipe by Chef Niru Gupta
A very famous Indian dessert usually made during festive times like Diwali. It is a sweet treat with cashews, raisins, saffron and the light flavour of cardamom. Mouth-watering much? Get going and try this now!
4. Atta Ladoo
Recipe by Chef Niru Gupta
A whole wheat sweet commonly made in the Indian households, atta ladoo is loaded with ghee and filled with so many nuts making it crunchy, nutritious and super yummy.
5. Til Ladoo
Recipe by Chef Surjan Singh
A festive treat, ‘Til Ladoos‘ are usually prepared to celebrate Lohri. This delicate sweet is made with roasted sesame seeds and jaggery and flavoured with saffron and will leave you asking for more.
Recipe by Chef Niru Gupta
Ladoos made with fenugreek seeds, ginger, saunf and jaggery and is especially good and healthy for pregnant women or women who have given birth.
Recipe by Chef Niru Gupta
Crispy ladoos made with puffed rice and molten jaggery, crunchy savoury that will not let you stop from eating just one.
Recipe by Chef Aditya Bal
Coconut cooked with khoya and condensed milk, shaped into round balls and stuffed with almonds and cashews.
9. Rava Ladoo
Recipe by Chef Roopa Gulati
Delicious semolina ladoos made with some crunchy dry fruits. Do try this healthy option if you think other ladoos are fattening.
10. Ragi Oats Ladoo
Recipe by Chef Soujanya M
Healthy ladoos made with ragi flour, oats flour, honey, dates and milk. Coated with sesame seeds and coconut, these ladoos make you go Oh yum!
We are sure these are hard to resist! Do tell us which are your favourite ladoos and which ones did you try making at home.
