Makhana or foxnuts are a VERY GOOD source of calcium and proteins. Rich in potassium, magnesium, and fiber they make an excellent addition to desserts.
Use foxnuts in your festival desserts, instead of using regular refined flour or wheat flour (for the gluten-sensitive) The beauty of this ingredient is that the texture of makhana is porous and hence soaks up all the flavours well.
In this laddoo recipe, the ROASTED makhanas are lending a nice crunch to the laddoos and are a delight to eat.
It is a given that during festivities we tend to over-indulge, hence it is best that we use healthy alternatives that are smartly camouflaged into desserts and sweets and still end up tasting great to the palate.
This is one such recipe.
MAKHANA & DRYFRUIT LADDOOS
Ingredients :
- 2 cups roasted Makhanas (Lotus seeds or Fox nuts )
- 2 tbsp pure ghee
- 1 cup mixed dry fruits chopped (almonds, walnuts, cashewnuts, pistachios, raisins)
- 1 cup jaggery (grated) & 1 tbsp water
- 2 tbsp dessicated coconut
- 1 tsp elaichi (cardamom) powder
- 1 tbsp milk
Method :
- Heat 1 tbsp ghee in pan.
- Lightly toast the dry fruits in the ghee & keep aside.
- Then roast the makhana & keep to cool.
- Grind the makhana coarsely in the grinder.
- Keep aside raisins and coarsely grind the rest of the mixed nuts.
- In the same pan melt grated jaggery adding 1 tbsp water till it forms a thick syrup.
- Add the ground makhana, dessicated coconut, cardamom powder & all the dry fruits to the pan and mix well for about a minute.
- Put off the gas. Remove the mixture from the pan onto a plate.
- Add the 1 tbsp milk and the remaining 1 tbsp ghee to the mixture.
- Wait for it to cool a bit & shape the mixture into laddoos.
- They are ready to serve.
Most of our Indian festival desserts and sweets contain refined sugar. This festive season we can try and incorporate a few healthy ingredients in them, especially for the good health of our family.
If you like this laddoo recipe you can try another healthy option for your Diwali sweets Gurpara w/- Whole-wheat flour
