To make healthy laddoos with turmeric or amla, combine the chosen ingredient with nuts, seeds, dates, and a healthy fat like ghee or coconut oil. Blend or process until it forms a dough, then roll into small balls.
Detailed Explanation:
Making healthy laddoos involves replacing refined sugar and unhealthy fats with nutritious alternatives. Here's a step-by-step guide for both turmeric and amla laddoos:
Turmeric Laddoos:
- Gather Ingredients: You'll need raw turmeric (or turmeric powder), dates (for sweetness), nuts (almonds, cashews, walnuts), seeds (pumpkin, sunflower), ghee or coconut oil (for binding), and optional spices like cardamom or ginger.
- Prepare Turmeric: If using raw turmeric, wash, peel, and grate it finely. If using turmeric powder, ensure it's high quality and organic.
- Roast Nuts and Seeds: Lightly roast the nuts and seeds in a dry pan to enhance their flavor.
- Blend Ingredients: In a food processor, combine the dates, roasted nuts and seeds, turmeric (or turmeric powder), and spices (if using). Blend until a coarse mixture forms.
- Add Healthy Fat: Gradually add melted ghee or coconut oil while blending until the mixture starts to come together and form a dough.
- Shape into Laddoos: Take small portions of the mixture and roll them into round laddoos.
- Refrigerate: Refrigerate the laddoos for at least 30 minutes to firm up before serving.
Amla Laddoos:
- Gather Ingredients: You'll need fresh amla (Indian gooseberry), dates (for sweetness), nuts (almonds, cashews), seeds (sesame, flax), jaggery (optional, for extra sweetness), and ghee or coconut oil (for binding).
- Prepare Amla: Wash and grate the amla. You can also steam or lightly cook the grated amla to reduce its tartness.
- Roast Nuts and Seeds: Lightly roast the nuts and seeds in a dry pan.
- Blend Ingredients: In a food processor, combine the dates, roasted nuts and seeds, grated amla, and jaggery (if using). Blend until a coarse mixture forms.
- Add Healthy Fat: Gradually add melted ghee or coconut oil while blending until the mixture starts to come together and form a dough.
- Shape into Laddoos: Take small portions of the mixture and roll them into round laddoos.
- Refrigerate: Refrigerate the laddoos for at least 30 minutes to firm up before serving.
Pro Tip:
Adjust the sweetness by adding more or fewer dates based on your preference. Soaking the dates in warm water for 10-15 minutes before blending can make them easier to process and create a smoother texture.