When I was in Delhi, the only thing I remind my Punjabi roommate to bring back from home during winters was Gond Ke Ladoo. The nutty, rich, and wholesome ladoos were enough to keep me going during winters. Enriched with ghee, nuts, wheat flour and edible gum, Gond Ke Ladoo are widely-consumed delicacies during winters in parts of North India. My Punjabi friend mentioned that they are a quintessential delicacy in Punjabi households during winters. The recipe differs regionally depending upon the choice and quantity of ingredients. While some people blend the nuts into a coarse powder, some keep them as they are and incorporate them into Ladoos. While the ladoos I ate were medium-sized balls, I have heard that some are relatively smaller too. My palate couldn’t help but crave Gond Ke Ladoo after I came back home. So, to satisfy my cravings, I tried making Gond Ke Ladoo at home but the first batch dried and crumbled. The second batch tasted better but couldn’t hold shape and flattened. After a few more trials, I was finally able to make perfect Gond ke Ladoos at home. I realised that making them can be quite tough. I have listed some tips and tricks based on my experiments to help you out if you are planning to make Gond Ke Ladoo at home too.
- Always fry the dry fruits in ghee before grinding them to make a fine powder.
- Fry the Gond evenly but don’t burn them. Remember to stir the Gond continuously while frying.
- Keep stirring the atta continuously to prevent it from burning. Roast the atta till it's brown in colour. It’ll take 15-17 minutes to get roasted properly.
- If the mixture is crumbly and dry, add some more ghee to bring it to the right consistency.
- If the mixture doesn’t hold shape, that means there is more ghee. Wait for the mixture to cool and then shape them into ladoos.
Try these tips and tricks the next time you try making Gond Ke Ladoo. Here’s a quick recipe that you can follow.