Chickpea flour may not be the first thing you think of when you're making a dessert, but in Indian cuisine it has many uses. It's great for appetizers, dinners, and desserts. Here I've made a traditional dessert (with small adjustments) that's completely gluten- and dairy-free, perfect for vegans too! If you're allergic to nuts, you can definitely leave them out. They can also be made even better with chopped pistachios, both as a garnish, or with almonds.
Most people will think why not use powdered sugar but powdered sugar is sweeter and gives an intense sweetness so I prefer sugar, preferably brown. By the way, did you know that chickpea flour is very useful for diabetics? It provides stable blood sugar and you can of course use diabetic sugar instead.
Besan ke laddo
100 g ghee
200 gr chickpea flour
120 g powdered sugar
½ tsp cardamom seeds
20 g coarsely crushed almonds
20 grams toasted sesame seeds
Procedure
- Remove the capsule and crush the cardamom seeds, grind the nuts/almonds and grind the sugar with a good hand blender or in a food processor. Toast the sesame seeds in a frying pan for 2-3 minutes on medium heat.
- Heat ghee and add chickpea flour, stirring regularly so that the flour does not burn. It should start to smell "a sweet smell" after 10-12 minutes. This process is important so that it does not taste raw.
- Turn off the heat and stir in the sugar, cardamom, sesame seeds and nuts. Save some nuts for garnish. Mix everything very well and let it cool.
- Shape these into small balls and dip in nuts. Eat with your fingers and chai or coffee . NAAM!