Sunday, November 13, 2016

Dates and peanut laddoo

The chances of some scintillating events unfolding by chance ... is what happened the day I made dates laddoos :D :D

It was my last week at my job of 8 years and as my farewell to the Firm that gifted me some noteworthy memories, it was my tribute to my friends and colleagues with some me-made culinary art. I prefer DIY gifts these days coz of the personal touch :D. Crossed fingers and a pounding heart loomed over my ecstatic halo of excited anxiety, I was gonna make them in a larger proportion.

As I stepped into the supermarket hoping for inspiration from the arrays decked with packets of possible ingredients, my eyes fell on the shelf with dates and then that MOMENT ensued :D :D My big moment that led to what I have shared below.

Some days feel like they are meant to have been in a certain way. It makes me wonder if there is indeed a pre-destiny. Over the years, I have replaced the blind religious belief handed down over generations to one that believes that we make our own destiny, or at least that our decisions play a vital role in shaping our castles of dreams. The Universe is full of surprises and I have concluded that there are more than "YESes" and "NOs". :D :D

As surprising as was the making of these little rounds of joy, I got some amazing pics during the photoshoot that I was proud of to show off.

I was way over the moon!


What I used
  1. Deseeded dates: 500 grams
  2. Toasted non-salted peanuts: ½ cup (optional)
  3. Ghee: 1 tablespoon
  4. Jaggery: ¼ cup
  5. Ginger: 2 inches
  6. Cardamom: 8 pods
  7. Pepper powder: 3/4 teaspoon
  8. Water: 3 tablespoons
  9. Toasted sesame seeds and almonds for garnish (optional)
How I made it
  1. Grind the dates and peanuts separately in a mixer. I did not powder the peanuts to retain some crunch in the laddoo. In a hot pan, heat half the ghee and cook the dates for a few minutes stirring continuously. To this add the peanuts and mix well and take it off stove.
    PS: you can add other dry fruits instead of peanuts. If no cruch needed, just use deseeded dates
  2. In a separate pan, boil the jaggery with some water, ginger, cardamom and pepper powder till it becomes viscous. Strain most of this juice into the dates and peanut mix and mix well. To the rest of the reduced jaggery, add the almonds that will be used for garnish.
  3. Once the mix cools down, grease you hands and a plate with some ghee and make laddoos of the desired shape and size. Jaggery coated almonds can be used as garnish. Also toasted sesame seeds can be used as topping.

I was tasting this thoughout the making process that by the time it was all over and I had a full laddoo, I was so full I skipped dinner that day :D :D

This was the quickest sweet dish I had made in a while :D :D

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