Nutritious Moong Bean Laddoo

How to make Moong Bean Laddoo / Pachaipayaru Laddoo

          You must have heard of Moong Dal Laddoo's. These on the other hand, are made from ground whole moong beans/pachai payaru maavu which is more nutritious, with a low glycemic index &  is a high fiber alternative to the moong dal. Go ahead & try these healthy laddoos this festive season & make your family's health a priority while celebrating Diwali.

Ingredients for about 30 Laddoo's:

1 cup pachai payaru maavu/whole moong dal flour/green gram flour (check notes*2)
1/2 cup kadalai maavu/besan/gram flour
1.5 cups fine sugar (check notes*1)
3/4th of a cup of ghee
Elaichi/Cardamom powder - 1/2 Tsp

Stove Top Method:

• Roast the flours (on the smallest/lowest flame possible) one by one in a little ghee, until it's aromatic, remove & set aside in a bowl.
• Add the elaichi powder & sugar to the flour mixture & mix.

• Divide the flour mixture into 4 portions. Take 1 portion of the flour mixture onto a smaller pan/bowl.
• Warm the ghee on the lowest setting & spoon a ladle full of ghee onto the smaller portion of the flour mixture, gently mix the ghee & flour, & make lemon sized balls while its still warm & set aside in a container. As you continue to make more balls, place them in a container.

• Make small batches - Repeat the process of adding ghee to each portion of the flour mixture until you are done with all the flour.
• Save in an air tight container & enjoy your nutritious snack. No refrigeration required (if you are using only ghee).

Notes: 

1. If your sugar is not fine; using a dry mixer/blender - grind it into a fine powder & continue with the process of making laddoos.
2. If using whole moong bean: Dry roast the green gram in a heavy bottom pan at low flame. Fry them till the green gram changes color and becomes aromatic. Allow it to cool down and grind into a fine powder using a dry blender/mixer. Grind, when they are still a little warm, don’t cool them completely. Sieve the powder, to remove any larger pieces of the bean & use only finely ground powder for the Laddoos.
3. The amount ghee you want to use for the Laddoos can vary according to your choice. The more ghee you add, the more tastier & easier it'll be to shape the Laddoos. Please take care not to burn your fingers while mixing the ghee into the flour.
4. If you make Ladoos with lesser quantity of ghee, it might be good for your waistline, but your Ladoos might crumble/break easily. You could reduce the ghee & sprinkle some milk to shape the Laddoos, if you are sure of using them up within a couple of days (under refrigeration).