Let's agree, indulging in sweet and round ladoos, literally define pure love, joy and delightfulness. Give someone a choice and they are sure to vote these spherical sweets as one of their most favourite ones and a notable contender of being our national sweet!
Be it a festive occasion, wedding ritual, a family gathering or even a birthday party, the omnipresent ladoo is one common sweet item that reigns all festivities. Well, additionally, being truly versatile in nature, people from different regions started experimenting with the different condiments and replaced them with whatever was readily available in their region to come up with their very own variety. But if you think that these sweet balls of delicacy were originally prepared for savoring as treats, think again! As ladoos are much more than just sinful indulgences.
History Of Ladoo
Even though it wasn’t mentioned as ladoo, but records state that these spherical delights originated long back. In the 4th century BC, ayurvedic physician Susruta used these spherical balls made of healthful ingredients like jaggery, sesame seeds, and peanuts as an antiseptic medication for people undergoing surgical procedures. This was the typical til ladoo which we fondly call today. Additionally, certain ayurvedic scriptures also state the use of a concoction of herbs, seeds and medicinal edibles mixed with a dollop of honey into ladoos for treating respiratory infections and boosting overall immunity. Apart from ancient ayurvedic literature, even the Supa Shastra of Mangrasa written in 1516 AD, a notable Kannada literary work has the mention of ladoos as a food item from Bihar.
Even a few decades back, these ladoos were used more for their nutritional and medicinal value than as a treat. It was used as a key dietary component for pregnant women and even given them after birthing to replenish the lost nutrients in their body and boost galactagogue action. A variety made of sesame seeds, jaggery, sonth and peanuts loaded with ghee was used as a medicinal remedy for teenage girls and boys to keep their raging hormones under control. With time, people started using variety of ingredients and came up with boondi ke ladoo, rava ke ladoo, besan ke ladoo, gondh k ladoo, atte ki ladoo, nariyal ke ladoo among a few.
Can Ladoo Be Used As An Immunity-Boosting Dietary Option?
Well, indeed yes! With a nip in the air and spathe of fog gradually enveloping the country, people are busy prepping up to welcome the chilling winters and the wedding functions and festivities that take place this time of the year. Unfortunately, with the number of COVID-19 cases still on the rise, the happiness of the festivities is literally masked behind the harshness of the deadly pandemic. Not only has the year 2020 changed the dynamics of our lives in so many ways, but at the same time it has made us realize the worth of healthy living incorporating nutritious dietary options and exercises to build strong immune system now more-than-ever!
Also Checkout: 5 Splendid Immune Boosting Foods That Bolster Your Resistance - Infographic
People always have a mindset that ladoos though extremely tasty are filled with loads of calories, but why not give it a twist by ditching the traditional ladoos and whip up a batch of immunity boosting ones.
Here are two delectable nutritious ladoo recipes to try this winter:
Ragi-Oats Ladoo
Ingredients:
1 ½ cup Ragi flour
1 cup oats flour
20 sliced dates (ripe)
1 tsp cardamom powder
¼ cup coconut powder
10¼ cup milk
½ cup honey
4 tbsp ghee
10 sliced cashew nuts
Method:
Dry roast the oats and cashew nuts separately in a pan.
Blend milk and 10 dates in a blender to get a smooth mixture.
In a pan, warm the ghee and slowly mix and roast the ragi and oats flour.
While stirring the flour on low flame, add the dates mixture, honey, grated coconut and cardamom powder to it.
Add the remaining grated cashew nuts and dates to it.
When everything is mixed, remove it from the flame and allow it to cool off.
Apply some ghee onto your palm, and make small spherical balls of the dough.
Roll the balls on the coconut powder to coat it and your nutritious ladoos are ready to be served.
Benefits:
While ragi and milk fortifies the bone density, oats help in regulating blood sugar and boosting weight loss. The addition of dates is beneficial for your heart whereas the presence of honey helps with digestive woes. Coconut powder not only promotes a healthy heart but also eases breathing difficulties.
Sonth-Methi Ke Ladoo
Ingredients:
1 cup atta (whole wheat)
1 tbsp methi (fenugreek) seeds
2 tsp saunf (fennel seeds)
1 tsp sonth (dried, powdered ginger)
10 sliced pista
10 sliced almonds
2 tbsp sesame seeds
3/4 cup gur or jaggery powder (natural brown sugar)
60 gms ghee
Method:
In a frying pan, pour ghee and roast the atta well.
Separately, dry roast the seame, fennel and methi seeds.
Make a mixture of the methi and fennel seeds.
Once the atta is cooked, add the powdered spices, sliced, pista, and jaggery powder to it.
Mix everything properly and remove it from the flame.
Once it cools, roll the dough into balls in your palm and roll it on the sesame seeds to give a light coating.
Your sonth ke ladoos are ready to be tasted.
