Ashtami Undo - Kare Laddoo


Hello everyone. How are you all? The festive mood is on all over the world. It starts from Krishna Janmashtami and continues with various other festivals.
Festivals not only bring joy but also gets all the old memories live. Krishna janmashtami is one such festival which was celebrated in a grand way in my Mamama’s place. Mamama used to prepare so many varieties of savory and sweets. And I used to wait for the pooja to end only to relish the delicious food mamama made.


Over the years in mom’s house I never got a chance to wait for it. Not because amma never made such delicious snacks, but because she never made a custom of making  savories or snacks specially for janmashtami. She had a thought that if any day we couldn’t make it (whatever the reasons would be) we will end up feeling bad , instead just keep a prasadam like sheera  or godu phovu or a plateful of fruits and offer it to god and get blessed.

Amma would make these delicacies anytime we wanted. There was no need of any special occasion, just like her I too make it on any day my daughter M wants to eat it.  I have explained about Krishna janmashtami here in this post. We perform a small pooja on this day just like we do every year.

Today’s recipe is something which is related to this festival Ashtami Undo or Kare undo. This laddoo is specially made during this festival in Mangalore. 



Here is what we need for this Laddoo:
1 cup gram flour/ kadalehittu/chane peet
1 cup of Layi pitto / Aralu pudi/( puffed paddy rice powder)
¼ th cup black sesame seeds
¼ th cup cashenuts cut into bits
¼ th tsp cardamom powder/elaichi powder
1 ¼ th cup chikki jaggery/antu bella
1 cup pure ghee +  ¼ th cup for sev
Method:
Sieve gram flour and mix ghee little by little to make a thick paste. This mixture is to make unsalted Sev for the laddoo.
Now take a sev mould and add in the above prepared mixture in the mould.
Heat 1 cup of ghee and press in the sev from the mould in the ghee in a circular motion fry it till crisp.
Now remove the sev from ghee and drain on a tissue towel.
Allow it to cool completely.
Once cooled roughly crush them with your hands and make it into fine pieces and keep aside.
Now remove any dirt if any from puffed paddy rice powder and add crushed sev,cashewnuts,sesame seeds,elaichi powder mix well and keep it for later use.
In a big deep bottom vessel add in the chikki jaggery and water just about less than ¼ th cup and keep it on the stove and keep stirring for a while. Simmer over medium heat till it starts caramelizing and forms a ball when you add a drop of syrup in cold water. This should take 4-5 minutes. Reduce the heat to low. When it comes to srting consistency or laddoo making consistency remove it from flame and add in the paddy rice mixture little by little and mix well with a clean spoon. (check notes)

Now grease your hands and make small lemon sized laddoos / balls out of it and store it in a air tight container.




Notes:
1. Try using black sesame seeds for extra aroma and flavour.
2. One can add plain sev, plain boondi or thick bhu for the laddoos, do not add thin sev.
3. Preferably use chikki jaggery for a better taste not only that the laddoos will get extra crunchy when this jaggery is used.
4. If pure fresh ghee is used then laddoos can be stored for more than a month in air tight containers.
Last but not the least wishing all Happy Krishna Janmashtami Stay Blessed.
Happy Cooking,
 


Comments

Priya Suresh said…
Very different laddoos, looks fabulous.