Gujarati and Rajsthani sweet, Churma Ladoo is made with whole wheat flour, Jaggery, Ghee, and Cardamom powder. Gujaratis also call this Churma Na Ladwa!
These ladoos are made during a festival time like Ganesh Chaturthi, Holi, Diwali, etc. They are often served with traditional Rajasthani Daal Baati and Gujarati thali, Urad daal, rice, Bateta nu Shaak, and puri! These are very healthy, and kids friendly.
You can make these once and store them in dry conditions for a long time. Once you try it, you would want to eat more!
What is Laddu or Ladoo
The term laddu or ladoo is for sweetened round balls made from flour, sweetener, and ghee or oil. Some nuts and flavorings are also added.
Indian cuisine has a variety of laddu recipes made with unique ingredients and different cooking methods.
Mostly the flours that are used to make laddu are gram flour, semolina (rava), whole wheat flour, various millet flours, lentil flours, or rice flour.
There are many varieties of laddus. Out of all my personal favorites are Motichur ladoo, Besan Ladoo, and Churma Ladoo.
Churma Ladoo
Churma Laddu is the authentic sweet recipe from Rajasthan and Gujarat state in India. It is sweet prepared from jaggery, ghee (clarified butter), and coarsely ground whole wheat flour.
There are different variations of this sweet. A lot of people make Churma laddu in pure Ghee. They even fry the churma muthiya (Dumplings) in ghee.
Some people make it with sugar and some make it with jaggery. We have been using jaggery for years and I prefer it that way.
There are also different combinations of flours, no right or wrong combination though! It’s all about preferences. Whatever recipe you select, the result is always good. J
Although these ladoos are originally from Gujarat and Rajasthan, nowadays they are made almost everywhere.
It’s our family tradition to make these Churma Ladoo for the auspicious day of Ganesh Chaturthi, as Ganesh prasad, offering.
When I was a kid my Baa (Grandmother) used to make these laddus on every Ganesh Chaturthi. During lunchtime, we used to pick one laddu and used to eagerly break them in hope of finding a coin (money).
We are so excited to break the laddus in hope of finding a coin. The one who gets the coin is considered the luckiest.
The excitement of a coin inside laddu makes us eat complete laddu.
I still try to follow this tradition and my son gets very excited whenever I make this laddu. J
I learned this recipe from my Mom. She learned from her mother. This no-fail recipe has been passing along generations!
And now I am documenting this recipe to pass to the next generations, hoping that they would keep this tradition alive!!
There are 3 ways of making cooking the Dumplings
- By frying – This is a traditional way of making churma ladwa.
- By Baking – You must be thinking why baked version! Baking in the oven instead of frying makes it, even more, inviting for today’s health-conscious families. Plus, people who are not allowed to enjoy the fried food because of some health issues can also indulge in this Indian sweet recipe.
- By making Bhakhri – frying and baking take is a bit time-consuming. But making the ladwa with bhakhri takes less time. In this process, you simply Divide the dough into lemon size balls, roll it into a thick flatbread. Heat the tawa and on medium flame roast/cook the bhakri till the bhakhri turn golden brown and crispy like a biscuit. After the bhakris cool. Cut the bhakri into small pieces and follow the rest of the recipe.
Why do I love this recipe?
- Made with only 5 ingredients
- No Refined sugar, No artificial flavors, No colors, No chemicals, and Non-preservatives were used to make this recipe.
- You can Snack this anytime, especially when you are feeling low on energy or satisfy your sweet tooth cravings.
- It’s the perfect Make-ahead Indian mithai for any festival.
- It’s perfect for prasad or naivedyam.
Ingredients required
- Flours – we have used coarse whole wheat (also known as bhakhari flour). It is easily available in Indian stores. If you can’t find coarse wheat flour then add semolina(rawa). I will mention the amount in the recipe card below.
- Ghee – desi homemade ghee is the best for this recipe. If you want to make this vegan, you can use vegetable ghee or vegan butter however the taste won’t be the same.
- Jaggery – My mom sent me Desi Jaggery without any preservative added from India. So I have used that in this recipe. It’s a desi organic jaggery thus it is dark in color. You can use any jaggery of your choice. Jaggery is easily available in Indian stores. It is also known as Gor or Gud.
- Oil – You will need oil for adding to the dough and for frying. Any flavorless oil is good for frying. If you want you can use ghee too.
- Spices – cardamom and nutmeg powder are added as spices. They are not only added for the flavors, and aroma but helps digestions too.
- White poppy seeds – This is known as khus khus. This ingredient is completely optional. It is used to coat the ladoo.
Step by step process
Take whole wheat flour in a big mixing bowl and add oil. Mix both very well. It will be a breadcrumb-like texture. (Image 1)
Add warm water, a little at a time, to make a tight and stiff dough. No need to knead the dough, just add enough water to bind the flour. Rest this dough covered for 15 minutes. (image 2 and 3)
Once 15 minutes is over, divide the dough into 8 parts and shape the dough in cylinders muthiya (dumplings). You can give any shape but it should not be too thick. (image 4)
Now heat ghee/oil on low heat to fry the dumplings. Once it is hot, add muthiyas, a few at a time. (image 5)
Fry the muthia till they are nice light brown. It will take about 5 to 7 minutes. Always fry them on a low flame. Take it out on a plate lined with a paper towel. Fry all the remaining muthiyas the same way. (image 6)
Let them cool completely
Then using hand first make small pieces. Now take them in a food processer or grinder and finely grind them. If any chunks remaining, then re-grind them. Keep it aside. (image 1 to 9_
In a pan, add jaggery and melt it over medium heat. (Note – we are heating jaggery just until it melts. Don’t cook it). (image 10 and 11)
Add melted jaggery in churma mixture and mix very well with a spoon or spatula. Now add cardamom powder and nutmeg powder. Keep it aside. (image 12 and 13)
Heat the ghee well in a small pan. (image 14)
Once the ghee is hot, add directly to the churma. You can see the honeycomb effect on churma. It will help to make softer and melt in mouth ladoo for a longer time. (image 15)
Mix everything all with a spatula or clean hands.
Tip – You can add any dry fruits of your choice at this point. Either coarsely crush the nuts or finely chop them.
Now take a couple of tablespoon mixtures and with your hand give a round shape to ladoo. You will be able to make 12 ladoos from the prepared mixture.
Tip – You can use ladoo mold or modak mold to shape the ladoo.
Take 2 tablespoon poppy seeds on a plate and roll all the ladoo. This step is completely optional. (image 16)
Enjoy with any meal, or as a snack or its own.
Notes, pro-tips and quick FAQs
- For Ladoo the flour needs to be coarse (dardara) not super fine. To achieve that, add Ladoo atta or bhakhri no lot you get at an Indian store along with whole wheat flour.
- For kneading the dough, use very less water. The dough needs to be stiff. You can use milk too but I prefer water.
- For even cooking, make sure to flatten the dough balls well.
- If baking this, every oven works a little differently, so keep an eye while baking the dumpling.
- If frying, be patient while frying them. Fry them on low to medium heat for 12-15 minutes.
- Make sure you let the cooked muthiyas cool down completely before you proceed.
- You can also add roasted the chopped nuts in ghee for the texture and to enhance the flavor. You can add as much or as little to your preference.
- Don’t cook jaggery for too long, just melt them and add them to the churma mixture.
- Add melted jaggery only after the churma mixture comes to room temperature.
- You can also use half sugar and half jaggery if the jaggery flavor is overwhelming for you.
According to Dadi, these ladoos are considered a healthy treat as they are made with whole wheat flour, ghee, and jaggery.
Whole Wheat Flour – It has a higher content of fiber and nutrition value in comparison with the plain flour/Maida.
Jaggery – It is loaded with antioxidants and minerals such as zinc selenium and is more nutritious than white refined regular sugar
Ghee – It is loaded with good fats and provides a lot of energy to the body.
These laddus are energy booster and power-packed laddus.
However, like every food, these should be consumed in moderation.
If you don’t have coarse wheat flour or if you couldn’t find them in your Indian grocery store, you can use ⅓ cup of suji / Semolina with every 2 cups of regular whole wheat flour(atta).
Yes, you can! If you are using jaggery powder, you don’t need to melt it. Add directly to the churma mixture and mix everything well.
Churma ladoo stays fresh at room temperature for a couple of weeks if stored in an airtight container. If kept in a refrigerator, bring it to room temperature before consuming.
Yes, Khus Khus is completely optional in this recipe.
If you notice ghee is more and your laddu mixture is loose, crush some nuts finely like almonds, cashew or walnuts and then add them in the mixture.
More Gujarati Sweet Recipes
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Churma Ladoo
Ingredients
- 300 Grams (around 2 cups) Coarse Whole Wheat flour (also known as Bhakhari atta or Ladoo atta)
- 150 Grams (about ¾ cup) Jaggery
- 45 ml (About 4 tbsp) Oil
- 85 ml (About ⅓ cup) Melted Ghee (if you are baking laddu muthiya then you might need more ghee)
- ¼ teaspoon Cardamom powder
- ¼ teaspoon Nutmeg powder
- 105 ml (About ½ cup) Water
- Oil or ghee for frying
- 2 teaspoon khus khus (poppy seeds) Optional
Instructions
- Take whole wheat flour in a big mixing bowl and add oil. Mix both very well. It will be a breadcrumb-like texture.
- Add warm water, a little at a time, to make a tight and stiff dough. No need to knead the dough, just add enough water to bind the flour. Rest this dough covered for 15 minutes.
- Once 15 minutes is over, divide the dough into 8 parts and shape the dough in cylinders muthiya (dumplings). You can give any shape but it should not be too thick.
- Now heat ghee/oil on low heat. Once it is hot, add muthiyas, a few at a time.
- Fry the muthia till they are nice light brown. It will take about 5 to 7 minutes. Always fry them on a low flame. Take it out on a plate lined with a paper towel. Fry all the remaining muthiyas the same way.
- Let them cool completely
- Then using hand first make small pieces. Now take them in a food processer or grinder and finely grind them. If any chunks remaining, then re-grind them. Keep it aside.
- In a pan, add jaggery and melt it over medium heat. (Note – we are heating jaggery just until it melts. Don’t cook it).
- Add melted jaggery in churma mixture and mix very well with a spoon or spatula. Now add cardamom powder and nutmeg powder. Keep it aside.
- Heat the ghee well in a small pan.
- Once the ghee is hot, add directly to the churma. You can see the honeycomb effect on churma. It will help to make softer and melt in mouth ladoo for a longer time.
- Mix everything with a spatula or clean hands.Tip – You can add any dry fruits of your choice at this point. Either coarsely crush the nuts or finely chop them.
- Now take a couple of tablespoon mixtures and with your hand give a round shape to ladoo. You will be able to make 12 ladoos from the prepared mixture.Tip – You can use ladoo mold or modak mold to shape the ladoo.
- Take 2 tablespoon poppy seeds on a plate and roll all the ladoo. This step is completely optional.
- Enjoy with any meal, or as a snack or its own.
Video
Notes
- Preheat your oven at @350 degrees F.
- Arrange all the muthiyas in a baking tray and bake them for 18 minutes and then take the tray out, flip them and bake them again for 15 minutes.
- Take the tray out let them cool down and follow the remaining step, steps no. 7 to 16.
- In this process, you simply Divide the dough into lemon size balls, roll it into a thick flatbread.
- Heat the tawa and on medium flame roast/cook the bhakri till the bhakhri turn golden brown and crispy like a biscuit.
- Let the bhakhari cool down and follow the rest of the recipe, from step number 7 to 16.
- If you don’t have coarse wheat flour or if you couldn’t find them in your Indian grocery store, you can use ⅓ cup of suji / Semolina with every 2 cups of regular whole wheat flour(atta).
- For Ladoo the flour needs to be coarse (dardara) not super fine. To achieve that, add Ladoo atta or bhakhri no lot you get at an Indian store along with whole wheat flour.
- For kneading the dough, use very less water. The dough needs to be stiff. You can use milk too but I prefer water.
- For even cooking, make sure to flatten the dough balls well.
- If baking this, every oven works a little differently, so keep an eye while baking the dumpling.
- If you are using jaggery powder, you don’t need to melt it. Add directly to the churma mixture and mix everything well.
- If frying, be patient while frying them. Fry them on low to medium heat for 12-15 minutes.
- Make sure you let the cooked muthiyas cool down completely before you proceed.
- You can also add roasted the chopped nuts in ghee for the texture and to enhance the flavor. You can add as much or as little to your preference.
- Don’t cook jaggery for too long, just melt them and add them to the churma mixture.
- Add melted jaggery only after the churma mixture comes to room temperature.
- You can also use half sugar and half jaggery if the jaggery flavor is overwhelming for you.
- If you notice ghee is more and your laddu mixture is loose, crush some nuts finely like almonds, cashew, or walnuts and then add them to the mixture.
- Churma ladoo stays fresh at room temperature for a couple of weeks if stored in an airtight container. If kept in a refrigerator, bring it to room temperature before consuming.
- Khus Khus is completely optional in this recipe.
Nutrition
Warm regards,
Dhwani.
Will regular chapati flour work?we use Sujata whole wheat floor.
Yes! Also, add 1/3 cup of Semolina (Sooji) with chapati flour.
Looks very authentic and easy to follow directions. Thank you for the recipe.
I have heard of this laddoo from my friend, but you are the one who has listed the third bhakri method as well among many other recipes I was looking at!