Ladu

Ingredients

Rice flour

• 400 grice flour

Syrup

• 300 ggranulated sugar
• 150 mlwater

To flavour

• 2 tspground cardamom
• 1/4 tspground nutmeg, if wanted
• 1 tspvanilla or a little orange blossom water

To enrich

• 80 gghee or butter, melted
• 50 gdesiccated coconut, if wanted
• 50 gchopped almonds or cashews, if wanted

Equipment

• a heavy dry pan
• a bowl of cold water for your hands

Directions

1. Heat a heavy dry pan over a medium-low heat with no fat in it. Add the rice flour and spread it out. Stir it constantly with a wooden spoon or a flat spatula. Toast it for about fifteen minutes. It will smell nutty and biscuit-like when it is ready. Keep the heat low, since rice flour scorches easily in patches. Do not stop stirring, since the flour at the bottom colours first.
2. Tip it into a wide bowl and let it cool for ten minutes. Now the flavourings, which go into the warm flour. Stir the ground cardamom and nutmeg into the toasted flour. Add the desiccated coconut and chopped nuts if you are using them.
3. Put the sugar and water in a heavy pan over a medium heat. Stir until the sugar dissolves, then stop stirring. Let it boil steadily for about six minutes. The syrup needs to reach the one-thread stage. Take a drop on a cold spoon and let it cool for a moment.
4. Press it between your thumb and forefinger and pull them apart. A single thread should form between them. Add a spoonful of hot water and bring it back if it has overshot. Now combining, which must be done quickly.
5. Take the syrup off the heat and stir in the melted ghee. Pour the hot syrup over the toasted flour all at once. Stir it hard with a wooden spoon until it is evenly combined. Add the vanilla or orange blossom water now.
6. Squeeze a little in your fist. It should hold its shape when you open your hand. Add a tablespoon of hot water if it will not bind. Add a little more toasted flour if it is wet and sticky. Now shaping, which must be done while warm. Let the mixture cool only until you can handle it. It must still be warm, since cold mixture will not bind at all.
7. Take a small handful and squeeze it firmly in your fist. Roll it between your palms into a smooth ball. Press firmly rather than gently, since compression is what holds it. Set the finished balls on a tray.
8. Work through the whole batch before it cools. Reheat the mixture briefly over a low heat if it stiffens. Leave them at room temperature to firm up. Do not refrigerate them, which makes them go damp. Pack them into an airtight tin once completely cool. They keep for about two weeks. Serve them piled in a bowl at a wedding or with tea.

Technique

• Toast the rice flour to a pale sandy brown, stirring constantly so it does not scorch.
• Take the syrup to the one-thread stage; further and the balls set rock hard.
• Shape while the mixture is still warm, since cold mixture will not bind.

Substitutions

• Semolina in place of some of the rice flour.
• Butter in place of ghee.

Variations

• With desiccated coconut worked through.
• With chopped cashews or almonds.
• Flavoured with orange blossom water instead of vanilla.

History

Ball-shaped sweets of rice flour, sugar and cardamom, descended from Indian ladoo and made for weddings.

Frequently asked questions

What is Ladu?

Ladu is a dessert from Comoros: toasted rice-flour and sugar balls with cardamom for festivals. Ball-shaped sweets of rice flour, sugar and cardamom, descended from Indian ladoo and made for weddings.

How long does Ladu take to make?

Ladu takes 30 min of preparation and 25 min of cooking. The recipe makes 20 balls. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Ladu?

Yes, within limits. Semolina in place of some of the rice flour. Butter in place of ghee.

What is the most important thing to get right in Ladu?

Heat a heavy dry pan over a medium-low heat with no fat in it. Add the rice flour and spread it out. Stir it constantly with a wooden spoon or a flat spatula. Toast it for about fifteen minutes. It will smell nutty and biscuit-like when it is ready. Keep the heat low, since rice flour scorches easily in patches. Do not stop stirring, since the flour at the bottom colours first.