Magaja Laddo: Mastering The Art Of Odia Cuisine's Special Laddoo
Image Credit: Instagram/mohapatra.sweta

Magaja laddoo is a wonderful Odia cuisine delicacy. These laddoos are created with whole wheat flour, cardamom, and black pepper. They also contain sugar and ghee . Magaja laddoo is one of Lord Jagannath's famed chappan bhogs (56 offerings) at the Puri temple in Odisha. This calorie-dense, melt-in-your-mouth wheat laddoos can be prepared on special occasions and during festivals like Ganesh Chaturthi, Diwali, and Durga Pooja.

Kids can eat them as a nutritious after-school snack or as part of a healthy breakfast with milk. The laddoos may be made in less than 30 minutes with desi ghee , thanks to the easy-to-follow recipe. This year's Ganesh Chaturthi is a good time to start anything new. However, the celebrations for this event differ depending on where in the nation you are. In states like Maharashtra, the festivities run for 10 days on such a large scale that everything else comes to a virtual standstill.


In contrast, in Odisha, it is merely a one-day event. The elephant god's favourite is revered in several parts of the world. But there is one thing that never changes—"laddoos." Almost all representations of Ganesha show him holding a laddoo or having a plate full of them just in front of him.

Magaja Laddoo

Here's how you can make magaja laddoo at home:

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup wheat flour
  • 1/2 cup ghee  
  • 1/2 cup powdered sugar
  • 1/4 cup mixed nuts (almonds, cashews, and pistachios), finely chopped
  • 1/4 teaspoon cardamom powder
  • A pinch of saffron strands (optional)
  • Ghee or oil for greasing your palms

Method:

  • Add the wheat flour to a heavy-bottomed pan or kadai over low to medium heat.
  • To keep it from burning, dry toast the wheat flour while stirring it constantly. The wheat flour should be roasted until it turns golden brown and releases a nutty scent. It ought to take 8 to 10 minutes.
  • Remove the roasted wheat flour from the flame and let it cool fully. To hasten the cooling process, transfer it to a different bowl.
  • Heat the ghee in a small pan over low heat until it melts while the roasted wheat flour is cooling. Saffron can be used to flavour and colour the melted ghee.
  • Add the powdered sugar and cardamom powder to the roasted wheat flour once it has cooled. They should be thoroughly blended.
  • Add the melted ghee to the wheat flour mixture gradually. Start by stirring with a spoon, then knead the mixture into a smooth dough with your hands. Ghee will assist in holding the mixture together.
  • Add the finely chopped mixed nuts to the dough after it is done, and combine them evenly.
  • Put some ghee   on your palms to moisturise them. Rolling the dough between your palms can help you form little, round laddoos from sections of it that you have taken. They can be created in whatever size you desire.
  • Continue doing this until all of the dough has been used.
  • Before putting the magaja laddoos in an airtight container, let them cool fully. They can correctly set it because of this.