sabudana ladoo |Cooking With Amanda

sabudana ladoo - a sweet recipe which is good for fasting as well as during festival days. sabudana or tapioca pearls is one ingredient which is much used during fasting or vrats in india. you can make sabudana khichdi, vada, thalipeeth, kheer or cutlets with them.

this method of making sabudana ladoos were shared by my mom. she had seen this on a tv show. she only saw the way these ladoos are made and told me the method. i had no inkling of the quantity of the ingredients that need to be used. so just eyeballed everything and made the recipe.

the original one uses ghee. i have used oil. now the difference between using oil and ghee is quite apparent in sweets like ladoos. firstly the ladoos don't have the aroma of ghee. secondly after cooling down, the ghee will solidify at room temperature and give a nice hold and shape to the ladoos. this does not happen with oil. the ladoos do hold shape but not like the ones made with ghee. the ladoos made with ghee are dense but the ones made with oil are a little loose.

as a vegan, i have very limited options in india when making indian sweets as far as ingredients are concerned. the other best option apart from ghee is coconut oil. however, since the ladoos have already desiccated coconut in them, i did not add coconut oil. i did not want too much of coconut flavor in these ladoos.

i have added hot oil later too, as i realized that the 4 tbsp oil i used to fry the cashews was not enough to bind the ladoos. with all the limitations and setbacks, these ladoos were good. they do stick in the teeth as its the nature of tapioca pearls to become sticky and gluey. so do give a try if you are looking for a different variety of ladoo that you want to make for festive or fasting ocassions.

lets start step by step sabudana ladoo recipe:

1. roast the sabudana (tapioca pearls) in a kadai or pan in a low flame. this step takes a long time… about 30 mins. you have to stir continuously. the pearls swell a bit and become crunchy and light brown when nicely roasted. if you bite, they won't be crisp as fried sabudana pearl….. but you can bite into it.

2. as mentioned above, this process of roasting take approx 25 to 30 minutes on a low flame. you can see in the pic the color and texture of the pearls. cool the pearls completely and then grind to a fine powder in a dry grinder.

3. lightly roast the desiccated coconut for 2-3 minutes. no need to brown the coconut.

4. in the same pan where you have roasted the coconut, add the ground sabudana powder.

5. add powdered sugar and mix well.

6. heat oil/ghee in a pan. add chopped cashews and fry them till golden.

7. pour this whole mixture of oil and browned cashews into the sabudana mixture. also add cardamom powdered and nutmeg.

8. mix very well.

9. when the mixture is still slightly hot or warm. make medium sized balls from it.

10. make all the ladoos in a similar way. sabudana ladoo are ready to be served.

11. you can also store the sabudana ladoos in an air tight container in a fridge for a week or so. enjoy the sabudana ladoos.

if you are looking for more fasting recipes then do check roasted makhana, palak raita, aloo paneer kofta, green peas sundal and aloo chaat,

sabudana ladoo recipe details below:

sabudana ladoo – makes 9-10 ladoos

Author: dassana

Recipe type: desserts

Cuisine: indian

Serves: 2-3

1 cup sabudana (tapoica pearls)
¾ cup dessicated coconut
½ or ⅔ cup powdered sugar or as required
6 to 7 tbsp oil or ghee
9 to 10 cashews chopped
4-5 cardamom, powdered
¼ tsp grated nutmeg

roast the sabudana (tapoica pearls) in a kadai or pan on a low flame.
they will swell a bit and become crunchy and light brown.
this process will take approx 25 to 30 minutes on a low flame.
cool the pearls completely and then grind to a fine powder in a dry grinder.
also lightly roast the coconut for 2-3 minutes.
no need to brown the coconut.
in the same pan where you have roasted the coconut, add the ground sabudana powder and sugar.
mix well and keep aside.
heat the 6 or 7 tbsp oil/ghee in a small pan.
add chopped cashews and fry them till golden.
pour this whole mixture of oil and browned cashews into the sabudana + coconut + sugar mixture.
also add cardamom powdered and nutmeg.
stir very well with a spatula or wooden spoon.
then when the mixture is still lightly hot or warm, make medium sized balls from it.
sabudana ladoo are ready to be served.
you can also store the ladoos in an air tight container in a fridge for a week.