Til Ke Laddu
Sesame Laddu also known as Til Ladoo are traditional Indian sweet balls made with sesame seeds, jaggery and cardamom powder. These sweet balls not only taste delicious with a nutty aroma but are also rich in iron & calcium. Sesame ladoo are known by different names such as Ellu urundai, Ellu unde or Nuvvula undalu in Indian regional languages. These are most commonly made in the Indian homes during festivals like Sankranti, Ganesh Chaturthi and even Navaratri. There are numerous recipes to make til ladoo.
Andhra Style Sesame Laddu
I have the first one here (picture above) which is super easy to make in less than 25 mins. It is a traditional recipe from Andhra cuisine. These sesame ladoo have a melt-in-the-mouth texture and taste extremely delicious with a unique nutty aroma.
These are also offered to the deities during festivals as naivedyam. Most Telugu speaking households also make these often for their growing kids as they are nutritious. The only tweak I made to the traditional recipe is to add some roasted peanuts for a texture & aroma. Making these healthy & delicious balls is super easy, even for a newbie. You can make them all alone without any help.
Til Ladoo with Jaggery Syrup
The second one is made by boiling jaggery syrup until a soft ball consistency is achieved. Then the dry roasted sesame seeds are added & rolled to small balls. These are most commonly made in many states during Sankranti festival.
As part of the festive celebrations til ladoos are exchanged among friends & relatives.
This is not a beginner’s recipe as it needs understanding the syrup consistency. Secondly the mixture has to be rolled while it is still hot. Handling the hot mixture is the most difficult part of making these ladoos.
So if you are a beginner or new to cooking then the second recipe may not be for you.
Dates Sesame Ladoo
The 3rd recipe is made with sesame seeds, cashews, cardamoms and dates. These are slightly denser in texture and are great if you want to avoid jaggery. Dates provide the sweetness and texture to these ladoos. Make sure you use softer dates like Medjool so the texture is not too dense.
Oats Sesame Ladoo
The 4th recipe is made with Oatmeal, sesame seeds, cardamoms and jaggery. These can also be made with palm jaggery or coconut jaggery. If you are looking for ideas to use oats this is one fabulous way to use them and no one will will know these are made with oats and sesame seeds.
Preparation to make Sesame Laddu
Roast Sesame seeds
To make recipe 1 you will use 1½ cup (195 grams) sesame seeds. If making recipe 2 you will use 150 grams seeds.
1. Add sesame seeds to a wide and heavy bottom pan. Begin to roast on a medium heat, stirring continuously until they begin to sizzle/crackle or splutter. They also turn crunchy at this stage. Do not roast them for too long or until they brown as they tend to turn bitter quickly. Transfer to a wide plate immediately.
Andhra style Sesame Seeds Ladoo
2. Roast ¼ cup peanuts on a medium heat until aromatic and golden. Cool and rub them with your hands to peel the skin. Separate the nuts and the skin. Crush the nuts gently with the base of a cup or use a mortar pestle or a rolling pin. You don’t want a powder, we are using them in broken form so they add a crunch to your sesame ladoo.
3. Reserve 2 tablespoons roasted sesame seeds in a bowl for later. Add the rest to a grinder jar or food processor.
4. Grind to a powder. Do not over blend at this stage as they begin to release oil.
5. Add ¾ cup (150 grams) grated jaggery and ½ teaspoon cardamom powder.
6. Grind until you see the mixture turns greasy and has begun to release oil. Do not over do. Take handful of this mixture to check if it binds. If not grind it again until the mixture turns warm. If you fail even then, add 1 tablespoon melted ghee. Taste test and add little more jaggery if you want.
7. Add the crushed peanuts and the reserved toasted sesame seeds we set aside. If you want you can coarsely crush the seeds gently before adding.
8. Mix well. Take small portions of this mixture and press down with your palms to bind well to form ladoo. Bind them when the mixture is still warm. If your kitchen is too cold, you may not be able to bind. In this case you can run the blender once more. You will be able to make 12 ladoos.
9. Optional step: If you want to garnish your ladoos with sesame seeds, add 1 tablespoon ghee and 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds to a wide pan. Heat it on a low flame, as soon as it is medium hot (not very hot), turn off the heat. Add the ladoos to the pan and gently swirl them to coat the seeds and ghee. Take one by one and roll them in your palms. The seeds will begin stick to the ladoos. If your pan is too hot, the jaggery will melt and the ladoos will break down. If you over toast the seeds, they will taste bitter.