Winter Special Recipe - Gond ke Laddoo Recipe

Gond(dink) is an edible gum that is extracted from the tree bark. It has a pale yellowish-brown appearance and looks like crystals. You can easily get Gond at the local grocery stores. You cannot use the gum directly; you must fry it until it fluffs up, then make a powder of it, and then use it in different recipes, including "Gond ke Ladu". 

While in most places across India, this edible gum is called Gond, in Maharashtra, it is called dink, and the laddus are called "dinkache ladoo". In this part of the country, it is a traditional winter special recipe, and people have it in the morning for breakfast with milk. However, nowadays, people enjoy it as an after-meal dessert. 

There are different Gond ke Laddu recipes, and each family has its own way of making these winter delights. The Rajasthani version uses wheat flour, and it does not have coconut. The Maharashtrian version does not have any flour, and dried coconut is one of the major ingredients. 

In this blog, we share a simple Gond ke laddu recipe that you can easily make at your home and delight your family members.

Ingredients needed for making Gond ke Laddu

• Gond or edible gum (3/4 cup)
• Ghee (2 tablespoon)
• Chopped almonds (20 gm)
• Chopped pistachios (20 gm)
• Chopped cashew nuts (20 gm)
• Raisins (20 gm)
• Dry coconut grated (2 cups)
• Chopped jaggery (1 ½ cup)
• Dry dates (1/2 cup)
• Roasted poppy seeds (2 tablespoons)
• Cardamom powder (1/2 teaspoon)
• Nutmeg powder (1/4 teaspoon)
  

How to Make Gond ke Laddu

• In a non-stick pan, heat about one tablespoon of ghee, and sauté the almonds, cashew nuts and pistachios on low flame for a couple of minutes or until the nuts turn golden brown. 

• Add raisins to the pan, give it a quick mix in the ghee, and turn off the heat. Transfer the nuts to a bowl. Keep it aside. 

• In the same pan, take a few spoonfuls of ghee, and add about ¼ cup of the Gond or the edible gum, also called dink in some parts of the country, and deep fry until the gum puffs up. Transfer it on a tissue paper and keep it aside. 

• Once the Gond is cooled down, crush the gum with a rolling pin and make a coarse powder. 

• In another pan, add the coconut and dry roast it on low flame for about 3-5 minutes until its colour changes to golden brown. Keep it aside. 

• In a mixer jar, add the dates and blend them to make a coarse powder. 

• In the same pan that you used earlier, heat the remaining ghee, add the powdered dates and roast for about 5-7 minutes on a medium flame or until it changes colour and turns brown. Keep it aside.

• In a different cooking pan, combine jaggery with three tablespoons of water and cook till it melts and you get a nice jaggery caramel with a stringy consistency. 

• In a big bowl, add the dried nuts, the crushed Gond, the roasted coconut, and the roasted date powder, and give all the ingredients a good mix until they combine well. Now drizzle the melted jaggery over the ingredients, and add the cardamom powder, nutmeg powder and roasted palms. 

• Combine all the ingredients well. The melted jaggery acts as a wonderful binding agent, and you can roll the ingredients in a small ball or into laddus. Make sure that you grease your palm well with ghee while rolling the laddus. 

• You can immediately serve the laddu or store them air-tight. Use them as required. 

Benefits of Having Gond ke Laddu during winters

Gond ke Laddu is a winter delicacy and offers several health benefits, which are listed below:

• It helps keep the body warm during winter.

• For generations, many families in India have had a tradition of making Gond ke Laddu in winter to keep themselves safe from winter-related illnesses like colds and viral infections. 

• Some studies suggest that having Gond ke Laddu can help improve eyesight.

• The ingredients used to make this wonderful sweet treat are rich in magnesium, calcium, and fibre, which help make your tissues strong and improve bone density. 

• Since Gond Laddu contains a high amount of fibre, it helps in treating constipation.

• It has been a tradition in many families in India to feed pregnant and lactating women Gond ke Laddu as it helps them meet the calorie deficit in the body and speed up their recovery after giving birth. 

• Some researchers have linked Gond Laddu to better milk production in lactating mothers. The high amount of essential nutrients in the dish helps in preventing back pain among women after delivery.

• Gond Laddu is usually had in the morning for breakfast with a glass of milk as it helps feel energised throughout the day. 
  
  

Now that you have the Jaggery Gond Laddu recipe and know its health benefits, you must try making it home for your loved ones. Kids, especially, will love and it is a great way for you to help them get the essential nutrients required for the efficient functioning of the body and keep them safe from illnesses during the winter.