Loading...Bajra Dry Fruits Ladoo is a healthy winter delicacy. It’s a traditional sweet made using millet flour, jaggery, ghee & dry fruits. Apart from these items, we have edible gum that makes these ladoos crunchy. Not only this but the gum also has medicinal properties to sustain winter ailments.
Before we being making our healthy winter ladoos there’s something we should know first. When we hear the word ladoo the age-old बूंदी के लडडू comes to our mind. What’s the difference between the bajra ladoo & the one sold at mithai shops?
Bajra Dry Fruits Ladoo vs Other Ladoos
There’s a huge difference between both of them. Let’s compare them on different factors to see which one is good for your health.
- Availability – The bajra ladoos aren’t sold at regular mithai shops. They are a regional sweet, especially for the winter season. Hence, it is tough to find them at local sweet shops. Other ladoos like boondi ladoo or mawa ladoo are regular sweet items. They are heavily sold & consumed everywhere.
- Taste – Bajra ladoo is made using jaggery & jaggery is healthy food. Whereas, other ladoos are made using processed sugar. Needless to say, sugar ain’t a healthy choice.
- Shelf Life – You can store bajra ladoo for more than a couple of months at room temperature. On the contrary, regular ladoos from halwai shop lose taste & aroma if stored long. Additionally, they need to be stored in the fridge or else they might turn stale.
- Healthy – Ladoos from sweet shops can tingle your taste buds. Yet if consumed daily can have an adverse effect on health. It is totally the opposite for bajra ladoo. You can eat them daily to keep a lot of health issues away. The bajra dry fruits ladoo are 100% healthy.
- Artificial Colour & Fragrance – The ladoos at mithai shops are produced commercially. Moreover, it comes in different sizes, flavours & colours. They contain artificial colours & aromas to lure people to buy. That’s not the case with the bajra ladoo. They have absolutely zero artificial colour & aroma. There are no harmful substances used to stretch their shelf life.
In short, ladoos made using natural sweeteners are far healthier than processed sugar. With this in mind, let’s see what we need to make these ladoos. Here you go.
What We Are Using For Bajra Dry Fruits Ladoo?
The list of items that we need is interesting. Each one of them has a critical part to play in the making process. The edible gum (goond) is one of my favourites. It makes the ladoo crunchy.
The same ladoos I made using wheat flour & edible gum. I will soon share the recipe. For now, let’s see what we’ll need to make bajra dry fruits ladoo. Here you go.
- Dairy Item – Needless to say ladoos are made using ghee. The same applies to our bajra dry fruits ladoo as well. Don’t attempt to make them in oil. You can use cooking oil but then you won’t get the flavour. Hence, try & use desi ghee.
- Edible Gum (Gond) – It is an extract from the plant Acacia having a brown crystal-like structure. Moreover, it is a winter food to maintain body heat. Since we are making winter special ladoo this ingredient is inevitable. You will love the crunchy bits in your ladoos.
- Flour – Millet flour will be the base of the ladoo dough. Above all, it’s rich in dietary fibres. These dietary fibres support your digestive system. All in all, it is a healthy option.
- Natural Sweetener – Instead of sugar, we will use jaggery for sweetness. Jaggery is a natural & healthy substitute for sugar. Check out my ladoo recipes & traditional Gujarati sweets using jaggery.
- Flavour & Fragrance – For flavour & aroma we will use 3 different items. For instance, cardamom powder. I like adding cardamom in kheer. It’s a natural preservative. The second is the Halim seeds aka garden cress seeds. It contains powerful health benefits. They are red in colour having a shiny surface. The third item is the desiccated coconut. It contains natural oil that is healthy to consume in winters. Additionally, it gives a milky & creamy taste.
- Dry Fruits – Adding dry fruits gives a unique taste & aroma to the ladoos. Meanwhile, you can skip cashews if you want. Roasted dry fruits make ladoos crispy & crunchy.
Things You Can Substitute
The following items are the hand-selected substitute ingredients. Use them only & only if the above main items are unavailable.
- Dairy Ghee – If desi ghee is unavailable then use dairy ghee aka packaged ghee. If available use jamkhambhaliya ghee. It is bulky & fragrant.
- Cow Ghee – The packaged cow ghee is another excellent substitute for desi ghee. If you want to know about cow ghee then refer to the best cow ghee buying guide.
- Millet Flour – You can substitute wheat flour with millet flour. This way you will still be making healthy ladoos.
- Muskmelon Seeds – An excellent substitute for dry fruits. Roast them to add nutty flavour & aroma. Even roasted peanuts are healthy options.
- Poppy Seeds – This item is not a substitute for any ingredient. On the contrary, it is an add-on. Roll ladoos in poppy seeds. They will taste better.
Avoid Using the Following Items
Try not to use the following items in this ladoo recipe. I have mentioned possible reasons as to why not against each one of them. Read below.
- Sugar – Although you can use sugar to make these ladoos still don’t do it. It won’t be healthy anymore if you use processed sugar. Hence, avoid using sugar at all.
- Maida – Kindly do not replace millet flour with all-purpose flour (maida). Because then it won’t be healthy anymore. Make all-purpose flour biscuits instead.
- Raisin – Don’t add dry raisins. Yes, neither the red raisins & nor the black ones. It is because raisins won’t stay fresh for a longer time. It will give a foul smell over time.
FAQs For Bajra Dry Fruits Ladoo
Here are some general queries. Read them carefully before you begin making this ladoo.
Is Bajra with dry fruits ladoo healthy?
Yes, they are not only healthy but also beneficial for body immunity. Moreover, if you are calorie conscious then they are perfect for you.
Can I replace ghee with oil?
You can but then the mixture won’t take shapes of ladoo. Besides, you will miss the excellent flavour & aroma of ghee.
Can I skip edible gum?
You can but ideally, you shouldn’t. So I will say no, don’t skip edible gum. It is there citing health reasons. This is the reason why we eat these ladoos in winter.
Are dry fruits necessary to add?
You can totally skip dry fruits if you don’t want to add them. Without dry fruits also the ladoos will be healthy.
Where can I get garden cress seeds or halim seeds or Aliv Seeds?
These seeds may not be easily available at supermarkets. Check old grocery stores in your area. If not then you can order online here.
What type of jaggery shall I use?
Avoid jaggery that is used to make chikki or gajak. It is chewy, sticky & will make ladoos hard. Tell the grocer that you want to make ladoo and not chikki when you go to buy jaggery.
Can I swap millet flour with wheat flour or maida?
You can replace millet with wheat but not with maida (all-purpose flour). These ladoos won’t be healthy using maida. Hence, avoid it. Wheat flour is a healthy substitute compared to maida. However, the preferred choice of flour is always millet flour.
So that was the winter special bajra dry fruits ladoo. Make them & let me know your experience in the comments. See you in the next recipe.
