Makes 21 medium or 27 small ladus

Diwali, the festival of lights, is a five day celebration that starts October 23rd this year. The word Diwali or Deepavali literally means ‘a row of lights’. The festival signifies the victory of good over evil, light over darkness, knowledge over ignorance. It is a time filled with lights and love and of course, the traditional sweet and savory snacks of Diwali!
Here in America, I have tried to keep up the Diwali traditions and my son and daughter really enjoy celebrating the festival . The family ‘faral’-a meal when the family sits together to enjoy all the traditional Diwali snacks and sweets, is an especially favorite time for them.
I start making the sweets and snacks a few days before Diwali. I decided to start today by making Besan Ladus. Besan is chana dal (split pea) flour. I use the coarse and the fine flour combined. Besan Ladus typically are made with loads of ghee and a long and slow process of roasting the besan…..yes you guessed it…not my kind of recipe:) So I wanted to share with you the following recipe that uses milk and cuts down on the ghee. Also, I roast the besan in a microwave so making these ladus really feels effortless.
I was all set to make the ladus when my trusted microwave decided to call it quits. So I ran out and got the first microwave I saw at Costco. This new one is 1000W versus the 1200 W I had before, plus it is a different company, so now I know what it means when they say microwaves vary:) But I made my ladus and have photographed them for you. The Besan Ladus with their aroma and taste have heralded the arrival of Diwali for me so don’t count the ladus, as some are missing:) Trust me, there were 27 ladus when I made them.
Ingredients for Besan laddoo-
- 1 stick of sweet creamy unsalted butter, melted and made into ghee or clarified butter. Or skip this step and use ½ cup of store bought ghee
- 1 cup ladu besan. This is a coarse besan flour. I used the Deep brand.
- 1 cup besan flour. I used Swad besan.
- a tiny pinch of salt
- 2/3 cup milk. I used 2 percent milk
- 1½ cups sugar
- seeds from 10 green cardamom pods + 1/8 inch piece of nutmeg (or 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg powder) ground with 1 ½ teaspoons sugar. I use a coffee grinder that I specially reserved for grinding spices. Adding the sugar just helps with grinding the cardamom seeds.
- About 27 to 30 raisins
To make the ghee-


Simply melt the stick of butter on medium heat( Stand back as it may spit if the stick of butter has any water content) , and let it simmer on low for about 5 minutes or until the liquid below the foam is amber colored and you smell that mouth watering aroma! Watch it closely after it melts as it can burn very quickly .Take it off the heat and set aside. the milk solids will settle to the bottom and you can pour off the top liquid ghee in another container.
Of course, you can skip this step by using store bought ghee.
To make the Besan Ladus-
- In a microwave safe bowl, combine the two besan flours and salt. Drizzle the ghee and rub it into the flour with your finger tips.
- Microwave the mixture on high for 2 minutes. Stir and microwave for another minute.
- Stir well and microwave the mixture for 30 seconds. Repeat step 3 ,three more times. Total microwave time is 5 minutes. This is where I noticed a difference between my 2 microwaves. This timing in my new microwave gave the besan a golden color. I like the Besan Ladus this golden sun kissed color. If you like a deeper brown, continue roasting the mixture at 30 second intervals, stirring well in between so as to prevent the besan from burning.
- Remove from microwave and set aside. In a microwave safe bowl, heat the milk until scalding ( 1½ minute on high in mine). Slowly drizzle the milk on the roasted besan, stirring with a fork continuously. Let the mixture cool completely.
- Add the sugar and the ground cardamom and nutmeg mixture to the roasted besan mixture.
- In a food processor, simply pulse the mixture for a few seconds until the mixture has a mealy texture. Roll the mixture into balls adding a raisin to each as you make the Besan Ladus!
Note: the microwave timings are based on my microwave. Individual timings may vary.
As the aroma of these Besan Ladus fills the air, you will know that Diwali is here!
Enjoy! Have a great weekend everyone!
Love,
Sandhya
Happy Diwali! We are receiving so many delicious Diwali recipes this week at Fiesta Friday, I think I am going to have to have a Diwali party myself. I remember celebrating this festival when I lived in Delhi, and all these recipes bring back some very fond memories. I am very happy at the thought of recreating these delicacies here in another remote corner of the world. Many thanks for bringing these along to the party.
A traditional favorite. Your ladoos look divine!
Thank you Anjana! Yes Besan ladus are a favorite! I love how their scent fills the air.Ate too many already:)
Love,
Sandhya
Hi Hilda!
Happy Diwali to you too! You also lived in Pune? That is where I am from. You have a fantastic blog. I love Goan recipes and your fish recipes have me drooling.
Thank you for hosting the Fiesta Friday again. I really enjoy the party!
Love,
Sandhya
lovely recipe! Reminded me of English Vinglish:)
Hi Mira,
Somehow I have missed seeing that movie. Now after reading your comment, I am doubly excited to see it!
So nice to hear from you. Lets keep in touch and visit each other!
Sandhya
You have to watch that movie. That was the instant thought that came to my mind after going through your post.
Great going!
Mira,
Now I am really curious! I have to watch the movie. Will let you know after I see it:)
Sandhya
wow these look awesome! I hope you have a very happy diwali 🙂
Thank you so much Michelle for your kind words and your wishes for Diwali!
Deeeelish..😚
Thank you so much!
They look absolutely lovely! We are making similar looking biscuits around Christmas, but with completely different ingredients – funny world 😉
Happy Diwali!
Thanks Ginger. Thank you for following my blog too. I love seeing how similarly we all celebrate the different holidays too!
Lets keep on visiting each other!
Love,
Sandhya
Happy Diwali! Your dish looks perfect for a celebration!
Thank you so much! Hope you are having a great weekend!
Hi Sandhya, congratulations. I have nominated your beautiful blog for the Liebster Award. Head over to mine for more information.
Dear Mira,
Thank you so much! It is so nice to be appreciated. I feel so inspired and encouraged by this nomination!
Thank you for thinking of me and nominating me.
Love,
Sandhya
Sandhya, this a great recipe – very easy to make. I made the ghee in the microwave too, so I used a single bowl… less cleanup!
Thanks Pradnya. I am glad you liked the recipe. I saw the picture of your ladus and they look fantastic!
Making the ghee in the microwave is a good idea too but my experience with microwaves is that it works great in some and in others it splatters so much that the microwave clean up becomes a pain. Also to strain the ghee we need to transfer it to another bowl.
But I am so glad it worked for you!
Happy Diwali!
Happy Diwali to you. Nice to see you here at Fiesta Friday. 🙂 These are so adorable – too cute to eat. 😀
Happy Diwali to you too! Thank you for your sweet words. I wish I could stay away from those ladus saying they are cute:)
I am so happy to see you at Fiesta Friday too! I loved the Tawa Bhendi fry. Will definitely make it soon and want to check out Su’s Manglorean curry too,
Thank you. 🙂
Tempting laddus 🙂
I loved your Princess cakes! They are simply adorable! Not to mention gorgeous!
Aww.. Thank you Sandhya 🙂
Thank you so much!
Wow, love these laddos, I remember eating them as a kid. Your microwave short-cuts are a great idea, I’ll have to try making these at home, but I’m afraid I might not share them with anyone :). Happy Diwali!
Oh and what is the difference between ladu besan and plain besan flour?
Happy Diwali, Loretta! You will love these easy to make microwave laddoos that also use less ghee.
Laddoo besan is just a coarser ground besan. Mixing the two textures of besan gives it a nice grainy texture rather than the laddoos that stick to the roof of the mouth:)
Do let me know when you make them!
Wow, I love the colour combinations! great photo!
Thank you Liz! That is so sweet of you!
Happy Diwali! Those look delicious!
Thank you so much Mara! Hope you had a relaxing weekend.
Love,
Sandhya
Until your post I wasn’t aware of Diwali, it sounds like a wonderful holiday. Thank you for sharing these traditional treats, they look delicious!
Thank you Liz ! I enjoyed reading your post too. I use a lot of cumin, coriander and turmeric in my Indian cooking. Your soup looks delicious!
I love Diwali – admittedly for the fairy lights and the yummy treats my colleagues bring! These look delicious; does the ghee keep well in the fridge if you make it yourself?
Yes I pour it off in a covered container and store it in the refrigerator for a month or so. Since it takes only a few minutes to make it, I make it one or two sticks at a time. I love the aroma and taste of fresh ghee:)
Thank you so much! I love Diwali too!
This looks delicious I’am going to make it for Diwali….
Thank you Swapna! Do let me know how you like them.
Thank you so so much for the lucidity and detail. I have a feeling this is exactly the Maharashtrian laadu recipe I was looking for.
Quick question: how would you modify this recipe to make it besan laadu barfi? I’m hoping to try making besan laadu barfi this time as my mom will be sending me laadus.
Please help!!
Thanks a ton,
Gouri
Gouri,
Thank you so much! I have not made besan ladu burfi with this recipe but, I believe increasing the amount of ghee would help . Sprinkling a little warm milk over the mixture helps the mixture bind too, but the texture then becomes a little gooey.
Hope this helps.
Thank you! Will try it out.
Do let me know Gouri!
Hi Sandhya, the ladus look divine. Quick question though, do we have to use a food processor to get the right texture? Can we skip that step? Thanks!
Thanks so much Neeta! The food processor just makes it easier. But you can surely mix it well with your hands and roll the ladus.
Thanks Sandhya. I tried this recipe and it was awesome! I love how you can get the same taste with a lot less ghee and save so much time too. Will definitely try more of your creative recipes.
Reblogged this on Indian and Indian Fusion Cooking in America and commented:
Sun Kissed Besan Ladus- As the aroma of these ladus fills the air, you will know that Diwali is here!
Happy Diwali Sandhya! I made one round of besan laddu as well with a little variation .I will try your version the next time 🙂
Happy Diwali Nisha!
Wish you the same Sandhya, hope you had a wonderful celebration!
Happy Diwali ! We used to make these in India in a pan and I crave these once in a while specially around diwali. Microwave is indeed a boon. Will make these soon. Thanks for the recipe.
Thanks Rita!
We can’t imagine Diwali to be complete without making these delicious laddus. These are my favorite and make it often.
Your laddus look perfectly sun kissed and delicious too.
Thanks so much Lata!
Your sunkissed besan ladoos look absolutely delectable and tempting ! Love the easy to follow microwave recipe. I also blend the ladoo mix in a food processor to make the job easy.
Thanks Poonam!
Just as you described them, besan ladus look like sun kissed. Beautiful colour and so tempting. Like how easy its to make these ladus.
thanks so much Mayuri!
Love the name sandhya sun-kissed besan ladoos!! Wah! They look very pretty in golden color!! Raosting besan in microwave is a great tip! Ladoos look totally gorgeous!!!
Thanks so much Priya!
So vibrant look of these ladoos sandhya ! I think you have justified much well by giving such name as SUN KISSED 😉 Love the easy to follow recipe and that too in microwave …
Thanks so much dear Sasmita!
Interesting to know how you cut down the quantity of ghee by using milk and roasted besan in microwave to ease lots of time and labour. That’s really a fantastic idea. Thank you for sharing.
Thanks so much Shailender!
Roasting the besan in microwave is a brilliant idea. Love besan ladoo and these are so perfectly made. Such a simple recipe and perfect for Diwali.
Thanks Sandhya!
Such a warm vibes coming from these sun kissed ladoos, perfect treat for Diwali. Microwave version sounds good too