Churma Laadoo
Churma laddoo are round Indian sweets made from coarsely crushed fried wholemeal bread mixed with ghee, nuts, sugar and cardamom. They are rich, crumbly and lightly spiced.
Ground cardamom for the churma
2 gStirred into the crushed fried bread with the nuts, sugar and coconut (step 8)Everything else
Method
- Put 180 g wholemeal flour, 2 g baking powder and salt to taste into a bowl and sift them together.
- Rub 26.4 g ghee into the dry mix until it looks sandy.
- Add water a little at a time and bring the mixture together into a soft dough.
- Knead for about 5 minutes, until smooth.
- Shape the dough into 20 equal balls, cover them and leave for 10 minutes.
- Press each ball flat between your palms into a patty.
- Lay the patties on a tray dusted with flour and cover them.
- Heat extra ghee for deep-frying to 180°C/350°F; a small piece of bread should brown in about 30 seconds. Lower the heat to low-medium.
- Fry the patties in batches for 2–3 minutes, until golden. Lift them out and drain on kitchen paper, then let them cool.
- Pulse the cooled patties in a food processor to a coarse crumb.
- Add 7.2 g slivered blanched almonds, 15 g crushed candied sugar (or 1 tablespoon sugar), 6 g grated fresh coconut and the masala.
- Sprinkle in a little water and roll the mixture into 20 balls with damp hands.
- Cover the laddoos and rest them for 15 minutes.
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Don't have something?
Whole wheat flourUse the same weight; it is almost the same, though slightly finer, so add water gradually.
Plain flourUse the same weight but reduce water by about 10%; the result is lighter and less nutty.
FlourUse the same weight as plain flour; reduce water slightly and expect less bran and colour.
Baking sodaUse 25% of the baking powder's weight (e.g. 1 g for 4 g) and add 2 g cream of tartar or 1 tsp lime juice per 100 g flour. Mix quickly and bake at once.
Bicarbonate of sodaSame as baking soda: use 25% of the weight with an acid such as cream of tartar, lemon juice or yogurt. Expect a slightly soapy taste if overused.
Self-raising flourReplace the plain flour plus baking powder with the same weight of self-raising flour; omit added baking powder and reduce salt slightly.
Unsalted butterUse 120% of the weight; melt gently over low heat to avoid burning the milk solids, which will yield a softer, creamier richness rather than a nutty aroma.
Vegetable oilUse 85% of the weight; holds high cooking temperatures without smoking, but the final dish will lack traditional dairy depth.
Mustard oilUse equal weight; heat to smoking point and cool slightly before cooking, bearing in mind it introduces an assertive, pungent edge.
AlmondUse the same weight; cover with hot water for 5 minutes, then slip off the skins.
Blanched split almondUse the same weight; they are already peeled and split, so use whole or chop as needed.
Cashew nutUse the same weight; soak in warm water before grinding. They are softer and richer, so the dish will be creamier.
Sugar candyUse the same weight, lightly crushed; almost identical, coarse crystals that melt slowly in syrups.
Granulated sugarSame weight; dissolves faster and gives no glassy crunch if scattered on top.
JaggerySame weight, grated; darker colour with a molasses note that changes the flavour of pale sweets.
Desiccated coconutUse 50% to 60% of the weight, soaked in equal parts warm water for 15 minutes before grinding. Works well for chutneys, though texture is slightly finer and sweeter.
Coconut milkUse 1.2 times the weight in curries. Adds creamy richness and authentic flavour, but makes gravies smoother and eliminates the grated, chewy mouthfeel.
Green cardamom seedGrind freshly extracted inner black seeds finely; use equal weight (1:1). Greatly superior aroma with potent eucalyptus and citrus notes.
Green cardamom podLightly crack whole pods and simmer them in the gravy; use 150% of the weight of ground cardamom. Fish out the pods before serving.
Ground nutmegUse 50% of the weight. Delivers warm, sweet aroma, but lacks cardamom's cooling, citrusy top notes.
Similar dishes
- Same: Both use wholemeal flour and a fat, with Chapaati using ghee or butter and this dish using ghee.
- Different: Chapaati has salt and no baking powder, sugar, almonds, candied sugar, coconut or cardamom, and it is cooked on a dry griddle rather than fried and formed into sweets.
- Same: Phulka shares wholemeal flour as its main ingredient with this dish.
- Different: Phulka uses vegetable oil and no baking powder, ghee, almonds, candied sugar, coconut, cardamom or salt, and it is an unleavened flatbread cooked over heat rather than a fried, crushed sweet mixture.
- Same: Tandoori Roti shares wholemeal flour, salt and a fat with this dish, and both use ghee or oil in the dough.
- Different: Tandoori Roti uses much more wholemeal flour plus plain flour and is baked at high heat in a clay oven, while this dish adds baking powder, almonds, candied sugar, coconut and cardamom and is fried then crushed into sweets.
- Same: Roomali Roti shares wholemeal flour and salt with this dish, and both are wheat-based Indian breads.
- Different: Roomali Roti adds plain flour but lacks this dish’s ghee, baking powder, almonds, candied sugar, coconut and ground green cardamom; it has no fat listed and is stretched paper-thin and blistered on an inverted hot pan rather than fried, crushed and shaped into laddoo; neither lists a souring agent.