Deepavali Special: Coconut and Dry Fruit and Nut Ladoos

As is fairly typical with me, I've kept all my Deepavali preparation to the last minute 😛 Somehow this always happens unlike with Christmas where I plan, prep and execute tasks/activities days or sometimes even weeks in advance. 

We just got back from a fantastic family holiday less than a week ago (more on that in my next blog post). Immediately after getting back I was swamped with work along with assisting to complete a mountain of the kids pending school work. It is only yesterday that I finished the last batch of the laundry (a beach holiday means there is sand just about everywhere!). The suitcases went into the attic yesterday as well so I only started feeling a sense of normalcy from this morning.

I had not really thought about what I'm going to cook for Deepavali. We love celebrating this sparkling festival of lights and the childhood nostalgia around Deepavali cements a special place in my heart so I wasn't looking to make excuses to slack off. I quickly picked two traditional sweets to cook and for the savoury, I decided to stick with my favourite Masala Vada. The lunch and dinner menu is going to be quite simple this year as we don't have many guests visiting during the long weekend. 

The first traditional sweet dish I made was these Coconut and Dry Fruit and Nut Ladoos and they turned out much better than I expected. I made them with grated fresh coconut, organic jaggery, ghee, mixed nuts, raisins, poppy seeds and cardamom. With no milk, cream or refined sugar, this ladoo is lighter than your typically rich and often cloyingly sweet Indian dessert. 

For me, one of the advantages of living in Singapore is the easy availability of grated fresh coconut. I can get coconut grated on the spot every morning and all it takes is a 3-minute walk to the vegetable market opposite my condo. It is fresh and moist and can be directly used in savoury and sweet dishes. Let me tell you that not having to grate the coconut from scratch means this sweet dish comes together really quickly. You can make these ladoos with dessicated coconut but it just isn't the same. 

The ladoos held their shape beautifully, had a mellow sweetness from the jaggery and great texture from the coconut and nuts. The kids gave their stamp of approval as well so I was very pleased with the outcome. 

This recipe is a keeper and I'll be definitely making these ladoos many more times in the future. I hope you try these ladoos folks. I can guarantee that you will love them.

Wishing you all a very happy Diwali/Deepavali. Love and light in abundance💥 

Coconut and Dry Fruit and Nut Ladoos (Nariyal Ke Ladoo)

Preparation time: 15 min; Cooking time: 20-30 min

Total time: ~45 min

Yield: 17-20 medium size laddoos

Recipe category: Dessert/Indian

Recipe level: Easy

Recipe source: Adapted from here

Ingredients:

4 tbsp ghee, divided

1/2 cup almonds, chopped

1/2 cup cashew nuts, chopped

1/4 cup walnuts, chopped

2 tbsp pumpkin seeds

2 tbsp raisins

4 cup fresh coconut, grated

1.5-2 cups jaggery (adjust per desired sweetness)

1 tbsp poppy seeds, dry roasted

1/4-1/2 tsp cardamom powder

Method:

 

1. In a pan heat 2 tbsp ghee and add ½ cup chopped almond, ½ cup chopped cashews, ¼ cup chopped walnut, 2 tbsp pumpkin seeds and 2 tbsp raisins. Roast on low flame until the ghee is absorbed, the cashews turn golden brown and all the nuts go crunchy. Switch off the flame and keep aside.

2. In a large and preferably non-stick pot heat 2 tbsp ghee and add 4 cup grated fresh coconut. Roast on low flame until the coconut turns aromatic. if you are using desiccated coconut, then make sure to soak it in warm water for at least 10 minutes.

3. Now add 1.5-2 cups jaggery and mix well. Continue to cook until the jaggery melts completely. You can break up the jaggery lumps with a spoon. 

4. Keep cooking until the mixture starts to hold shape. When this happens you will be able to press the mixture down and mould it to the shape of the pot. 

5. Add in the roasted nuts, 1 tbsp poppy seeds, and desired amount of cardamom powder.

6. Mix well and turn off the flame. Cool the mixture slightly so it is acceptable to handle. 

7. When the mixture is still warm start shaping ladoos. I made them slightly larger because I was going to pack them for gifting. If I was going to make them only for my family, I would have made them smaller in size. 

8. The coconut and dry fruit and nut ladoos are ready to enjoy for 2 weeks when refrigerated.

Notes:

• For the crunchy elements, you can also add pecans and sunflower seeds
• For the dried fruit, you can also add chopped dried prunes and dates
• Use good quality jaggery. I suggest using the block jaggery which you can either grate or scrape using a knife
• As far as possible, make this dish using grated fresh coconut. Dessicated coconut just won't taste the same

Cheers,

Megha