Sweets recipes | Havyaka

Kadlehittinunde | Besan or gram flour laddu

By Leena Hegde, Puttanamane

Ingredients A quick look Step by step Notes

Kadlehittine unde or Besan ke laddu is a festive dish made especially during Deepavali. This rich and melt-in-mouth laddu is made with gram flour, ghee, and jaggary. The gram flour is slow- roasted, dry first and then in ghee until golden and aromatic. Then mixed with jaggery and cardamom powder and shaped into balls.

The most important part is roasting the gram flour properly. Proper roasting removes raw taste and also helps in getting the right dough consistency to make balls. The roasting process enhances the nutty flavor of gram flour, and cardamom adds a pleasant fragrance to this delicious sweet.

In this recipe I have used ¾ cup ghee to make laddu extra soft. However, this recipe can be made with ½ cup ghee. Also, I am using semi liquid raw jaggery. This can be replaced with jaggery powder, grated jaggery, or raw sugar powder.

Prep time

10 mins + 15 mins to shape balls

Cook time

19 mins

Cool off time

0 Total time

44 mins

Course

Sweets

Diet

Vegetarian

Difficulty level

Moderate

Servings

15 unde or laddu

Ingredients

2 cups gram flour (Kadle hittu / besan)
½ to ¾ cup fresh ghee
½ cup raw jaggery or ¾ cup grated or powdered jaggery or as required
5 cardamoms
10 cashews (optional)
15 dry grapes or raisins (optional)

Cookware / Utensils

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

Instructions

Rinse cashew nuts, and dry grapes. Optionally, dry roast the nuts and chop them to pieces.
Remove, rinse, and powder cardamom seeds.
Measure ghee, and jaggery, cover and keep aside.
Take gram flour in a thick and broad pan or kadai.
Roast the gram 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 15 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 4 minutes more.

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. You can also transfer the mixture to a mixing bowl or plate.
Add cardamom powder and mix well. Let it cool for about 5 to 10 minutes.
Add jaggery and give it a good mix until all the jaggery dissolves.
Break the lumps, if any, in the mixture. The jaggery has to be mixed, preferably with your hand, thoroughly with the flour-ghee mixture.
Add nuts and dry grapes. (Optional)
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 laddu with your family and friends on festivals.

Step by step guide

How to make Kadle hittina unde

1. Rinse cashew nuts, and dry grapes. Optionally, dry roast the nuts and chop them to pieces.

2. Remove, rinse, and powder cardamom seeds.

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

4. Take gram flour in a thick and broad pan or kadai.

5. Roast the gram 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 15 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.

6. Then add ghee in the flour. Mix well and keep stirring and roasting this mixture for 3 to 4 minutes more.

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

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

8. Add cardamom powder and mix well. Let it cool for about 5 to 10 minutes.

9. Add jaggery and give it a good mix until all the jaggery dissolves.

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

11. Add nuts and dry grapes. (Optional)

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 laddu with your family and friends on festivals.

Notes

Use fresh preferably homemade ghee.
Roast gram 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.
This Laddu stays fresh for about 1 week at room temperature. However, shelf life depends on ingredients quality, storage type, room temperature, and weather condition.