churma ladoo

INGREDIENTS

FOR CHURMA

• 2 cups Whole Wheat Flour
• 1/2 cup Sooji (Semolina/ Rava)
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt
• 1/2 cup ghee
• 1/4 cup Water

FOR LADOO

• 1 cup Jaggery , shredded
• 2 teaspoons Cardamom Powder (Elaichi)
• 1/2 teaspoon Nutmeg powder
• 1/2 cup Whole Almonds (Badam) , coarsely pounded
• 1/4 cup Poppy seeds
• 1/2 cup ghee

METHOD

• To begin making the Churma Ladoo recipe, in a large bowl, combine the whole wheat flour, sooji, salt and 1/2 cup of the melted ghee and mix well until you get a bread crumb texture. Add a little water at a time and knead to make a stiff dough.
• Knead the mixture by hand for about 5 minutes to make firm dough. Use the palm of hands and roll 2 inch diameter size balls from the dough. The balls should be firm such that if you drop them, it should not break or crumble. 
• Preheat the oven to 180 C for 10 minutes. Place the churma ladoo balls in a baking sheet and bake the churma ladoo balls in the oven for about 20 to 30 minutes until browned on both sides.
• Make sure to keep turning the churma ladoo balls around, until it is browned from all sides. The churma ladoo balls will tend to crack from the top while it is baking and that's completely natural. 
• Once the churma ladoo balls are golden brown in color from all sides, remove them from the oven.
• Allow it to cool completely and blend the churma ladoo balls in a blender until it resembles coarse crumbs. 
• Add the cardamom powder and nutmeg powder to the mixture and combine well. This is the churma ladoo mixture, keep aside
• In a small pan combine the jaggery and the other 1/2 cup of ghee on low heat. Once the jaggery melts, turn off the heat. 
• Gradually add the melted ghee jaggery mixture to the churma ladoo mixture and combine well but rubbing it between your hands. Once you feel the mixture is reasonably soft, grease your hands with ghee and using the palm of your hands roll it into two inch diameter balls to make the churma ladoos.
• Place the poppy seeds on a platter and roll the churma ladoos on the poppy seeds to coat them evenly.
• Allow the churma ladoos to set for an hour before serving. You can store the Churma Ladoos in air tight canisters for a couple of weeks in the refrigerator and warm them for a few seconds in the microwave before serving.
• Serve the Churma Ladoo