Divali is all about sweet desserts. And they don’t get much more iconic than Laddou, Mauritius’s take on the classic Indian dessert Laddu. Read on to learn about these mouth-watering balls and learn how to easily make them at home.
INGREDIENTS
9
RECIPE STEPS
8
TOTAL TIME
1 h 20 m
Why You Need This Recipe
- Laddou is simple and straightforward to make at home
- This recipe is a crowd favourite to add to your selection of Divali sweets
- Even though you can buy Laddou from the shops, homemade ones always taste better
About Laddou
Laddoo is a popular sweet treat in Mauritius that originates from India where it is also known as ‘Besan Ke Laddu’. Laddoo is a ball-shaped sweet made from besan (chickpea flour) and boasts aromatic flavours of cardamon, raisins and almonds.
It is made during festivals, weddings and celebrations and popular with adults and children alike. Add this recipe to your recipe box and delight your family and friends this Divali.
What You Will Need
Perforated Stainless Steel Spoon
The thing that makes Laddoo unique is the batter is deep fried into tiny little balls before being mixed with sugar syrup, raisins and almonds to form into golf ball sized balls. In order to deep fry the batter, you will need a perforated spoon to control the drops of batter as they fall into the sizzling hot oil.
Star Ingredient
Chickpea Flour (Besan)
Besann is a type of flour that is made with chickpeas. In particular, it is made from Bengal gram and is also known as gram flour, garbanzo flour or chickpea flour.
Besann is an excellent source of protein, fibre and is naturally gluten-free making it suitable for people with gluten intolerance. Additionally, besann has a low glycaemic index which leaves you feeling fuller for longer and is excellent for people with diabetes.
READ MORE: Why chickpea flour is the ultimate gluten-free flour →
Scroll to the bottom to find the full list of ingredients and detailed recipe.
Prepping Tips
It is quite simple to make your own besan or chickpea flour if you prefer. When you make it yourself, you have the option to roast the chickpeas first for a more complex flavour.
How to make besan flour:
- (Optional) Place dried chickpeas on a cookie baking tray and roast in the oven at 175°C fan-forced for about 10 minutes or until the chickpeas are golden brown.
- Place the chickpeas in a food processor and grind to a fine powder.
- Use a sieve to sift the flour. If there are any large pieces that didn’t grind properly, you can discard these or put them in the food processor and grind again.
Keep your chickpea flour in an airtight container at room temperature for 6-8 weeks and use it to make Laddoo whenever the craving strikes.
If you’re like me and you are usually short on time, you can definitely buy chickpea flour from the supermarket. The results you will get from store-bought chickpea flour will still scrumptious.
Complete Recipe Steps
Here’s a summary of the steps you need to follow to make Laddou.
1
Mix the besan, baking powder, yellow food colouring (optional), and a teaspoon of water into a thick batter. Cover with a tea towel and allow the batter to rest for 30 minutes.
2
Add the sugar, water and ground cardamon to a saucepan and bring to the boil to make a clear syrup. Put the lid on the saucepan to keep the syrup warm
Scroll to the bottom for the printable recipe card
3
Heat the oil in a pan for deep frying. Once the oil is hot enough, transfer a ladleful of batter into a perforated spoon, then lightly tap the perforated spoon so that tiny amounts of batter drop into the oil.
4
5
6
7
8
How to Serve Laddou
Without a doubt, Laddou is best served cold straight out of the fridge. Balance the intense sweetness of this dessert with a steaming cup of milk tea.
Recipe FAQs
Can I use other nuts instead of almonds?
As an alternative to almonds, you can use other nuts such as cashews or pistachios. You can also decorate the balls of Ladoo with dried rose petals for a different aesthetic.
How long can I store my Laddou for?
You can store your Laddou in an airtight container for at least 3 weeks at room temperature if it is kept away from anything that could contaminate it.
Printable Recipe Card
Laddou (Sweet Mauritian Besan Flour Balls)
Equipment
- 1 Perforated stainless steel spoon
Ingredients
- 500 g chickpea flour (also known as besan)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp yellow food colouring
- 250 g caster sugar
- 1 L water
- ½ tsp cardamon ground
- 2 tbsp raisins dried
- 3 tbsp almonds chopped
- rice bran oil for deep frying
Complete Recipe Steps
- Mix the besan, baking powder, yellow food colouring (optional), and a teaspoon of water into a thick batter. Cover with a tea towel and allow the batter to rest for 30 minutes.500 g chickpea flour, 1 tsp yellow food colouring, 1 tsp baking powder
- Add the sugar, water and ground cardamon to a saucepan and bring to the boil to make a clear syrup. Put the lid on the saucepan to keep the syrup warm250 g caster sugar, 1 L water, ½ tsp cardamon
- Heat the oil in a pan for deep frying. Once the oil is hot enough, transfer a ladleful of batter into a perforated spoon, then lightly tap the perforated spoon so that tiny amounts of batter drop into the oil.rice bran oil
- Fry the tiny balls of batter for about 30-40 seconds in batches until they are brown and scoop them out into a bowl lined with a paper towel. We will call these tiny balls “boondi”.
- Keep frying the boondi until you use up the batter.
- Transfer the boondi to the sugar syrup and allow to soak.
- When the boondi are lukewarm, add the raisins and almonds and mix thoroughly.2 tbsp raisins, 3 tbsp almonds
- Form the boondi mixture into balls about the size of golf balls and allow to cool before serving.
Notes
- Use caster sugar to make the sugar syrup as it dissolves faster than regular granulated sugar. If you don’t have caster sugar, you can still use regular sugar or golden or unrefined sugars. They will work just as fine. Unrefined sugars will add more of a caramel flavour
- You can test if the frying oil is hot enough by dropping a small amount of batter into the oil, the batter should brown and little bubbles should form around the batter.
- For an alternative, you can roll the Laddou balls in desiccated coconut
