Tilgul ladoo | Til gud ladoo | Til ke laddu are traditional crunchy sweets made on the special occasion of Makarsankranti. These sesame seeds and jaggery balls are healthy and a winter month favorite!
In a pan roast the sesame seeds on medium heat until slightly golden and start to splutter (around 5-7 mins).
Remove in a clean dry vessel and keep aside.
In the same pan dry roast, peanuts (skip if using roasted), cashews and chana dal one after other until slightly golden and remove in the same bowl as sesame seeds.
To this mixture, add cardamom powder and give it a mix. Keep aside.
Make Jaggery Syrup
Now in the same pan melt the ghee and add the jaggery to it.
Keep mixing on medium-low heat until the jaggery has completely melted and is bubbling. Cook it for additional 2-3 mins until it reaches a softball stage.
To test the softball stage, drop a small portion of the melted jaggery in the bowl of cold water. Touch with fingers and see if it forms a softball. If it does your jaggery is ready. If not, continue to cook.
If you prefer a crunchy slightly hard ladoo, cook the jaggery a little more, cook on low heat, but do not burn it.
Turn the heat to low and start adding the sesame seeds mixture slowly, mixing simultaneously.
Once all have been well-incorporated, turn off the heat.
Make tilgul ladoo
Apply some ghee or water to your palms and then start rolling this mixture into balls while it's still hot or warm enough to handle.
Caution the jaggery is hot so be careful not to hurt/burn your self.
Take small portions at a time and shape them into round smooth balls and keep aside on a clean and dry plate. Make remaining til ladoo in the same way.
If by the end of it, the mixture is getting hard to roll, warm it slightly just enough to loosen it a bit and then roll again. Overheating will make the ladoos hard so just warm it slightly.
Allow to cool completely and then store air right at room temperature.
Delicious Sesame seeds and Jaggery Ladoo, Til Gul Ladoo are ready. Exchange these with your friends and family with a greeting "Til Gul Ghya, God God Bola".
Notes
Recommend using a nonstick pan, makes it easier to handle melted jaggery.
Roast the sesame seeds as it helps bring out their nutty flavor even more. Be cautious not to burn them though.
You can use white sesame seeds or black sesame seeds or a mix of both.
Don’t cook jaggery on high heat it will stick to the pan and burn. Always cook on medium heat stirring continuously
Use good quality jaggery.
Along with cashews, you can add other dry fruits like crushed almonds, pistachios, seeds, etc.
Some like to add dry coconut flakes too. Just make sure to roast the coconut before adding it to the mixture.
Melt the jaggery on medium-low heat and ensure not to burn it as it will turn bitter.
The Til and Gul mixture has to be rolled into balls when the jaggery is hot or warm. The mixture hardens very fast.
If for some reason you cannot roll it into a ball, spread an even layer on a flat plate, cut in squares or triangles, and allow it to set/solidify.