Laddoo (or laddu) is an ancient Indian sweet, also popular in other South Asian countries. One of the earliest mentions of laddu is in a twelfth-century Gujarati manuscript.
An Ancient Word
The word laddoo comes from Hindi laddu, itself from Sanskrit ladduk, laddukah which means:
- "A kind of sweetmeat (a round ball of sugar, wheat or rice-flour, ghee, and spices)". (Apte Sanskrit Dictionary).
The word entered the Anglo-Indian lexicon:
- "My friends … called me boor ke luddoo, or the great man's sport." (Pandurang Hari, 1826, ed. 1873, i. 197).
- "When at large we cannot even get rabri (porridge), but in prison we eat ladoo (a sweetmeat)." (Tod, Annals, 1828, Calcutta reprint, ii. 185).
Most Popular Sweetmeat of India
It can be prepared with various ingredients like gram-flour, wheat and rice flour,coconut or jaggery. It is "a must" to mark any auspicious or religious ceremony and festivals. Laddoos are traditionally distributed on important occasions like engagement, marriage, child birth, home warming or to honour and celebrate any personal or professional achievement. This sweetmeat is the favourite sweet of Lord Ganesh, the famous elephant-headed Indian God, son of Shiva and Parvati, who brings wisdom, good luck and prosperity to the family. Hence, to honour His birthday on Ganesh Chaturthi which falls in month of the Hindu calendar around August-September and celebrated across whole India and especially in Maharashtra, it is an important ritual to offer Him Modak laddoo, made with coconut and rice flour. Laddoo is ritually offered to the deities in the Hindu temples and as well distributed to the believers and the visitors.
Very Easy-to-do Recipe
So this is a very easy to do Coconut laddoo for which you only need grated coconut, almond powder and sweetened condensed milk and it is ready effortlessly within minutes ! It will surely be a success as the method has been simplified and the ingredients minimized to achieve the most authentic result. Now you too can prepare laddoo very easily and serve them as a festive sweetmeat with an exotic touch of coconut which symbolises and brings good luck and prosperity. Bon appetit!
Recipe of Laddoo (by Marion Aparna)
For around 6 persons
Ingredients
- 2 cups of grated coconut (200 g - 0.441 lbs)
- 1 cup of almond powder (100 g - 0.22 lbs)
- chopped almonds or walnuts (60-70 g - 0.132-0.154 lbs) (facultative)
- seeds of 7 green cardamoms
- 150 g (0.331 lbs) of sweetened condensed milk
- 6 table spoon of sunflower oil
Method
- In a pan, on a medium flame, stir constantly the grated coconut upto the the moment it turns light brown (within 2-3 min). Then add the almond powder, the cardamom seeds and the chopped walnuts/almonds.
- Continue to mix by adding the sweetened condensed milk.
- Add 6 table spoon of sunflower oil and stop the fire when the mixture is homogene (after approximately 3-4 min).
- Let the mixture cool. Make small bite size balls by pressing tightly and roll them in the almond powder. Place on a service dish. Decorate it by sprinking grated coconut and flaked almonds (facultative).
Pascal Marion - Author, independent researcher, responsible of Terres d'Asie.
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