Rice Flour Laddoo (Tandulyache Ladu)

THE THEME FOR THIS WEEK IS" IS EVERYTHING ROUND A LADDU? " 

Wishing everyone A Very Happy Gudi Padwa & Ugadi & Chetti Chand.
Gudi Padwa in Maharashtra is the beginning of New Year and is considered as one of the 3.5 shubh muhurats for any kind of purchase or for any new beginnings.

I feel that my blog revival is also a new beginning for the blog & what better way and day to do so than on Gudi Padwa..

My today's post is on making Rice Flour Laddoo or Chawal ke laddu or as we call in Marathi Tandulyache Ladu

Rice flour too has its set of benefits :

1. High in beneficial fiber
2. Excellent gluten free option
3. High in protein

More than the benefits, the reason I particularly choose this dish is because of my childhood memories associated with it.
I have fond and welcome memories of summers spend at my Maternal Uncle (Mama) place during holidays. My maternal grandmother (Aaji) was an excellent cook and like all Aajis extremely enthusiastic about cooking especially for grand kids.. She would excel in making different types of ladus and vadis as we call them in Marathi. Aaji would especially make this tandulyacha ladu whenever we were visiting as it was my personal favorite. She would also send homemade tandulyachi pithi (rice flour) with us so that my mother who was working would quickly make them for us.

Back then she would make the rice flour at home the traditional way by cleaning, washing rice & drying it on a cloth at home. Then roasting it and making flour by grinding it to a particular consistency. 

Nowadays readymade rice flour is easily available in markets but as purists would say the taste differs...

I always lament on not noting down Aaji's traditional recipes and also not been trained by her due to my lack of interest in cooking back then.

This is my first attempt at making the ladus and I would like all of you to bear with me for the uneven shapes of the laddoos.

            Rice Flour Laddoo (Tandulyache Ladu)

Ingredients :

• 1 cup Rice flour (tandulyache pith)
• 1/2 cup homemade ghee
• 1/2 cup sugar (proportions may vary as per individual taste)
• 1/4 teaspoon Nutmeg powder (Jalphal)

Method : 

1. Heat 1/2 cup ghee in flat bottom pan or kadhai on stove top.
2. Add rice flour and roast well until you smell the aroma.
3. Ensure that rice flour is properly roasted as less roasting would result in laddoo sticking in throat and over roasting will burn the flour and give burnt taste so properly roasting is key element of this dish.
4. Some people use less ghee to begin with and as they roast rice flour if needed add additional ghee.
5. Once it is properly roasted, switch off the heat & wait for it to cool down.
6. Add 1/2 cup sugar to the rice flour and mix well.
7. Add 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg (Jalphal) powder and mix well.
8. Make round shaped laddoos.

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing this BM#86