Scope

Laddu or laddoo is a round/spherical shaped sweet. The name is said to have originated from the Sanskrit word Lattika. Laddus are made of flour, ghee/butter/oil, and sugar/jaggery, with other ingredients that vary by recipe, like chopped nuts or dried raisins. They are often served at festive or religious occasions. Laddoos are the most popular sweet dish from the vast cuisine of India and a favorite offering as prasad/naivedyam in temples across the sub-continent as well
as in all major Hindu celebrations such as births, naming ceremony, weddings, etc.

Fundamental Concepts and Principles

Following ingredients are required for making Wheat Germ Laddu/Semolina Laddu :

  • Laddu can be prepared from a variety of grains, legumes or seeds, sugar/jaggery and ghee. Some popular ones include laddu made with roasted wheat, amaranth, garden cress seeds, fenugreek seeds, and peanuts respectively.

Fundamental Concepts and Principles

Ghee – 1 palam

Wheat flour – ¼ padi

Coarsely ground wheat- ¼ padi

Milk – 1 palam

Brown sugar – 24 palam

Almonds – 5 palam

Cardamom powder – ¼ palam

Brown sugar – 5 palam

Method

The required flour is combined with sugar and other flavorings, cooked in ghee and molded into a ball shape. Some laddu recipes are prepared using Ayurvedic medicinal ingredients, such as methi (fenugreek seed) laddu, multigrain and resin laddu. Dry fruits such as raisins, cashew nuts, pistachios and almonds are commonly added into laddus.

Of all laddus, the most famous is the boondi laddu which is a staple offering at Hindu temples, weddings, and Hindu festivals. Of these, the Tirupati Laddu of the Tirupati Tirumala Devasthanam is the most famous and greatly sought after. The second most popular laddu is the besan laddu made of chickpea (besan) flour, sugar and ghee.

Other well known laddus include rava laddu (made from semolina), til laddu (made from sesame seeds), pinni laddu (made with wheat flour) and coconut laddu.

A less known but nutritious laddu given to lactating mothers is the gond laddu/dink laddu. These laddus are called dinkache ladoo in Marathi and gond ka laddu in Hindi. The main ingredient is gum arabic which is collected from the babhul tree. Other ingredients in the gond laddu include coconut, almonds, cashews, dates, spices such as nutmeg and cardamom, poppy seeds, ghee, and sugar. An alternative multigrain recipe will have a portion of gum replaced by grains and legume flours such as besan, urid, ragi (nachani in Marathi) and wheat.

Method

  • Pour 1 palam ghee and 1 palam milk in coarsely ground ¼ padi wheat and another 1 palam ghee and 1 palam milk in the ¼ padi wheat flour. Mix well and set aside.
  • Then take 2 and ½ palam ghee and fry these two separately in that ghee. Mix ghee 10 palam and brown sugar 24 palam by pressing it with the palm of your hand until it becomes smooth like butter. Mix de-skinned almonds 5 palam, cardamom powder, brown sugar 5 palam with the wheat germ/semolina and the brown sugar preparations. Make lemon-sized balls and set aside. These balls/laddus may be tight initially but they will loosen up.

Hindu Compliance Body

The Hindu compliance body was established under the executive order of The Supreme Pontiff of Hinduism, dated August 14, 2020, order number 10010, under the title Reviving the Hindu Compliance System and Body to create, promote, spread and teach the standard procedures for all products and services that are in compliance Hindu Shastras.

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