Laddu Laddu and more Laddus for Bappa!

Lord Ganesha is offered several forms of laddu /laadu during Ganesh utsav as he is fond of laddus.  Seems like we have borrowed his sweet tooth for these Ten days! 🙂 

After Modak its long list of laddus starting with mothi choor laddu, boondi laddu, besan laddu and rava laddu that are are commonly prepared and a must have prasadam/offering on one of the 10 days.

However it occurred to me that Ragi (finger millet) that can be used to make delicious laddus should not be missed as this is another preferred food of elephant lord! In fact I call Ragi laddus (Indian choco laddu) though its devoid of coco 🙂

There are again several variants in making these laddus, below is my version of Ragi Laddus.

Here’s the list of ingredients and method to make Ragi laddus:

1. Ragi flour( Finger Millet) – 200 gm ( slightly roasted in microwave for 1 min)

2. Wheat floor – 100 gm ( roast with a teaspoon of Ghee(clarified butter) to slightly brown color)

3.Jaggery – 100 gm ( grated)

4.Coconut dry – 50 gm (grated)

5.Milk – 100 ml (luke warm)

6.Ghee(clarified butter) – 20 gm

7.Cashewnuts – 10-15 Nos (plain roasted )

8.Cardamom powder -1 tsp

Mix all the ingredients in the sequence listed above and make a soft dough and make them into round laddus. The malty flavor and chocolaty color attracts kids at its first sight so do make a point to name it Choco laddu and what more you are giving your child the best choco ever 100% nutritious! 🙂 Laddus can be preserved in fridge for a maximum of one week. In case you find the laddus too dry just break them and bind them again adding little warm milk. Make a soft porridge of this laddu by adding hot milk an ideal meal for infants and toddlers .

Some Gyan (Knowledge) on Ragi and its Gunas (qualities) :
Ragi / Finger millet popularin South Western States of India. Its widely consumed a a staple food apart form rice in Karnataka and some parts of Andhra Pradesh, Tamilnadu and Maharashtra. Ragi is very soft millet when made into a flour and is rich source of Calcium and other minerals and also fiber . Its easily digested and soothes the digestive system and is a coolant by nature. Ragi soaked overnight in buttermilk or water is consumed as first meal in hot summers, since its loaded with rich minerals and fiber and absorbed gradually due to its fiber content and thus helps us maintain fluid balance in the body and prevents energy loss/ exhaustion . Its one of the cheapest and best infant foods popular in southern states of India and making its mark in several branded cookies for its fiber and calcium rich qualities making it ideal for diabetic, cardiac and weight managers 🙂 Irrespective of region one belongs to I have seen that Ragi is a great food for infants because of its soft malty taste when cooked in milk and a bit of jaggery or sugar is added along with a pinch of cumin powder. This is certainly an important food for moms to be and nursing mothers.

Needless to detail the nutrition meter I guess, here we go 🙂

1. Ragi – Rich in Calcium, Fiber, Energy and Protein
2. Wheat – Good amount of Protein , Energy and Fiber
3. Jaggery – unrefined sugar , Iron and minerals and fiber , great taste enhancer as a sweetener , complex form of sugar
4. Coconut – Rich source Protein, of Vitamin E and minerals and Fiber
5. Ghee- a better option of fat compared to saturated fats and trans fatty acids, butter etc.
6. Cashew nuts – Rich in Protein, essential fatty acids and fiber and antioxidants
7. Cardamom – Flavor, dash of anti oxidants and essential oils

Shall we call it a complete nutritious food ? YES Of course ! My take is best food for all seasons and festivities and a great snack for kids with goodness of all nutrients from various sources.
You can make variations replace wheat flour with any other flour of cereals or pulses as per your taste and liking . You can also add coco powder to make it real choco flavor, for normal days .However its a practice in India to use all natural sources of foods to prepare the Prasad or Naivedhyam (offering) so its all natural in the current recipe 🙂
So lets get started with a hands on ………

Note : Always remember anything in excess is dangerous !

Ganapathi Bappa Moriyaa ! Mangala Moorthi Moriyaa!