Sweets recipes | Havyaka

Hittinunde | Atta or wheat flour laddu

By Leena Hegde, Puttanamane

Ingredients A quick look Step by step Notes

Hittinunde is a classic, rich, and delicious sweet ball made with whole wheat flour, jaggery, ghee, and flavoured with cardamom. Optionally, nuts and dry grapes (raisins) can be added to enhance the richness of this traditional delicacy.

Hittu + Unde together make a word hittinunde. Hittu meaning is flour, and here it refers to whole wheat flour (atta). Unde meaning is ball, and here it is sweet ball or laddu or laadu.

Hittinunde or atta laddu recipe is quite easy and gets made quickly. This festive dish is prepared on festivals like Deepavali, Navaratre (Navaratri), and other special occasions.

Prep time

10 mins + 10 mins to shape balls

Cook time

14 mins

Cool off time

0 Total time

34 mins

Course

Sweets

Diet

Vegetarian

Difficulty level

Moderate

Servings

15 unde or laddu

Ingredients

1 cup whole wheat flour (Godhi hittu / Atta)
⅓ cup fresh ghee + keep additional 1 to 2 tablespoons ghee handy & use if you are unable to shape balls
⅓ cup raw jaggery or ½ cup grated or powdered jaggery or as required
5 cardamoms
10 cashews (optional)
10 almonds (optional)
15 dry grapes or raisins (optional)

Cookware / Utensils

Thick pan or vessel
Bowl(s)
Spoon or spatula
Mortar and pestle

Instructions

Rinse nuts, and dry grapes. Dry roast the nuts.
Chop them to pieces or make coarse powder using mortar and pestle.
Remove, rinse, and powder cardamom seeds.
Measure ghee, and jaggery, cover and keep aside.
Take whole wheat flour in a thick and broad pan.
Roast the whole wheat flour on a low to medium-low heat.
Stir the flour continuously while roasting so that there is even roasting.

Roast till the colour changes and the flour is aromatic. This process takes about 8 to 10 minutes on a low to medium-low heat. However, timing will vary with the size, thickness, and material of the pan, and flame intensity applied.
Then add ghee in the flour.
Mix well and keep stirring and roasting this mixture for 3 to 5 minutes more till you see the bubbles in the mixture.

Again, roasting time will vary with the size, thickness, and material of the pan, and flame intensity applied.
Switch off the heat and remove the pan from stovetop.
If you prefer, you can transfer the mixture to a mixing bowl or plate.
Add nuts, dry grapes, and cardamom powder. Mix well.
Add jaggery and mix well. Break the lumps, if any, in the mixture.

I am using raw thick jaggery with soft crystals. So, adding ⅓ cup tightly packed jaggery and within 2 -3 minutes of switching off the heat.
If you are adding grated or powdered jaggery add ½ cup or as required. Before adding grated or powdered jaggery let the mixture cool for about 15 minutes.
The jaggery has to be mixed, preferably with your hand, thoroughly with the flour-ghee mixture.
Then take a portion of this mixture and shape into a ball.
Make medium size sweet balls or unde or laddu or laadu from the remaining mixture.
And enjoy hittinunde or atta laddu with your family and friends on festivals.
If remains, store them in clean and dry container with a tight lid.

Step by step guide

How to make Hittinunde

1. Rinse nuts, and dry grapes.

2. Dry roast the nuts. Chop them to pieces or make coarse powder using mortar and pestle.

3. Remove, rinse, and powder cardamom seeds.

4. Measure ghee, and jaggery, cover and keep aside.

5. Take whole wheat flour in a thick and broad pan.

6. Roast the whole wheat flour on a low to medium-low heat. Stir the flour continuously while roasting so that there is even roasting.

Roast till the colour changes and the flour is aromatic. This process takes about 8 to 10 minutes on a low to medium-low heat. However, timing will vary with the size, thickness, and material of the pan, and flame intensity applied.

7. Then add ghee in the flour. Mix well and keep stirring and roasting this mixture for 3 to 5 minutes more till you see the bubbles in the mixture.

Again, roasting time will vary with the size, thickness, and material of the pan, and flame intensity applied.

8. Switch off the heat and remove the pan from stovetop. You can also transfer the mixture to a mixing bowl or plate.

9. Add nuts, dry grapes, and cardamom powder. Mix well.

10. Add jaggery and mix well.

I am using raw thick jaggery with soft crystals. So, adding ⅓ cup tightly packed jaggery and within 2 -3 minutes of switching off the heat.
If you are adding grated or powdered jaggery add ½ cup or as required. Before adding grated or powdered jaggery let the mixture cool for about 15 minutes.

11. Break the lumps, if any, in the mixture. The jaggery has to be mixed, preferably with your hand, thoroughly with the flour-ghee mixture.

12. Then take a portion of this mixture and shape into a ball.

13. Make medium size sweet balls or unde or laddu or laadu from the remaining mixture. And enjoy hittinunde or atta laddu with your family and friends on festivals.

14. If remains, store them in clean and dry container with a tight lid.

Notes

Use fresh preferably homemade ghee.
Roast wheat flour well until aromatic, taking care not to burn it. It also slightly changes its colour when roasted well. You can taste test the roasted flour-ghee mixture. There should not be any rawness, it should feel cooked. (Taste test is not allowed if you are preparing the dish to offer God / Goddess!)
If the added ghee is less, mixture will crumble while shaping and you will not be able to form neat round balls. In this case, add a few more tablespoons of warm or hot ghee. Mix well and then continue to make balls.
It may also not hold the shape and may become soggy if ghee is more. In this case, roast flour as needed and add to the mixture. You may also want to add more jaggery accordingly.
Hittinunde or atta laddu stays fresh for about 2 weeks at room temperature. However, shelf life depends on ingredients quality, storage type, room temperature, and weather condition.