Moong Dal Laddu are nutty sweet balls made with moong lentils, ghee, sugar and flavored with green cardamoms. These Moong Dal Ladoo are quite addictive too.
Heat a thick bottomed pan or kadai on a low flame. Then add moong dal.
If you want you can rinse the moong dal first. Spread the lentils on a plate or tray or on a cloth.
Dry the moong dal naturally or in sunlight. Once the mung lentils have dried, then add them to the wok or kadai. If you want you can add directly too.
Keep the flame on low or sim and begin to roast the moong dal.
Continue to stir often while roasting. Keep on roasting and stirring for even browning and cooking.
The moong dal needs to be golden and become aromatic. Use a thick bottomed pan or kadai.
If the pan or kadai is not heavy or has a heavy base, then the moong dal will get browned too fast with uneven cooking and roasting.
Remove the dal in a plate and let it cool.
Once the lentils have become warm or cooled down, add them in a grinder jar.
Grind to a fine flour.
Now take the moong dal flour in a fine seive.
Begin to sift the flour on a plate or tray or a large bowl or pan.
Keep the sifted moong dal flour aside.
Grinding sugar
In the same grinder, add ⅓ cup sugar. Also add cardamom seeds removed from 2 to 3 green cardamom pods.
Grind sugar to a fine powder.
Making moong dal ladoo
Add the powdered sugar to the moong dal flour. If you want you can even sift the sugar and then add. Mix very well.
Melt ¼ cup ghee in a pan. You just need to melt the ghee and not heat it.
If adding dry fruits, you can add some sliced or chopped dry fruits at this step and saute them in ghee till they become light golden.
Add the melted ghee to moong dal flour and sugar mixture.
Mix very well with a spatula or spoon.
Let this mixture become warm or cool.
Then mix again very well with your hands.
Now start shaping portions of the mixture into neat round balls. If you are not able to make the ladoo, then allow to cool for some more time at room temperature.
Prepare ladoo like this with all of the mixture.
You can offer these Moong Dal Laddu to the deities as naivedyam or serve to your family.
Store the remaining Moong Dal Ladoo in an air tight box or jar and keep at room temperature or refrigerate.
Notes
Use yellow moong lentils that are within their shelf-period.
You can also use jaggery to make these laddu. Try to use the softer variety of jaggery. If you use jaggery powder, then grind it to a fine powder in a mixer-grinder before adding to the moong dal flour.
In case if you are not able to shape into laddu, add a few tablespoons of melted ghee to the mixture. Mix well with a spoon and let the mixture cool a bit before you start shaping into laddu.
The recipe is scaleable to make for a smaller portion or for more servings.
Approximate nutrition info is for 1 moong dal ladoo.