Healthy Ragi Ladoo Recipe: A Delicious and Tasty Snack for All Ages

1. Ragi flour: 1 cup
2. Jaggery (grated or powdered): 1/2 cup
3. Almonds (chopped): 1/4 cup
4. Cashews (chopped): 1/4 cup
5. Sesame seeds: 1 tablespoon
6. Ghee: 1/4 cup
7. Cardamom powder: 1/2 teaspoon

Get your chef’s coat out as we are ready to venture into how to make ragi ladoo at home with these easy steps:

Step 1: Take a saucepan and set it over low-medium heat on the stove. Add a cup of ragi flour into the pan and dry roast this for around 5-8 minutes. Make sure to keep stirring constantly, as we want the ragi to turn fragrant and a shade darker in colour. Do keep an eye on the pan, since the flour may stand to burn if the heat is on too high and left unattended. Once the ragi is roasted, transfer it to a mixing bowl and set it aside for now.

Step 2: Set the same pan on the stove back again with the heat on low. Add in the roasted nuts and seeds, like chopped almonds, cashews, sesame seeds and roast them well until they are golden brown. This process gives them a crunch, which will complement the dense texture of ragi.

Step 3: Till the flour and nuts cool completely, place another pan on the stove, and melt half a cup of jaggery in it with about two tablespoons of water. Let this heat until all of the jaggery pieces have slowly melted and formed a sticky syrup. A trick to get this consistency right is by carefully picking some syrup using a spoon to test the texture. Since the jaggery syrup will be hot, it is best to be careful.

Step 4: Once you take the sweetener off the heat, pour it over the bowl containing ragi flour and nuts. Next, incorporate half a spoonful of cardamom powder into the bowl and mix the ingredients well to ensure everything is evenly distributed.

Step 5: While the mixture is still warm, pick a handful and shape it into a small round ball, using the palm of your hands. If your hands feel dry or if the mixture needs more binding agent, you may always use a little ghee to make the process easy. Once cooled, transfer these ragi ladoos to an airtight container, and that’s it!

Benefits of Ragi Ladoo

Apart from being delicious, ragi laddu is packed with several nutritional benefits, such as:

1. Ragi laddoo is a powerhouse of minerals such as iron and calcium.
2. Ragi is a sound source of fibre, which may help in promoting digestive well-being.
3. Another one of the ragi laddu benefits is that it includes nuts and seeds. These are abundant in healthy fats and micronutrients that support growth and development.
4. The ingredients in the ragi ladoo recipe are rich in antioxidants such as phenols that potentially reduce the risk of oxidative stress to the body.

Serving Suggestions and Variations

1. One of the benefits of ragi ladoo is that it is a delicious treat. While we have used half a cup of jaggery in the recipe, you may always adjust the amount to your liking. You may also substitute it with honey or maple syrup for a variation in taste.
2. Get creative with the nuts and seeds! If you are allergic to a specific nut, then replace them with pistachios, walnuts, raisins, or even flax seeds for added texture.
3. To make the flavours a little more complex, you may also try to incorporate nutmeg or cinnamon into the recipe. This will enhance the flavour profile of the dish.

These are some ways you can make the most of the benefits of ragi ladoo. It is a simple yet nostalgic snack, deeply rooted in culture as a treat to boost one’s nutrient intake. Ragi ladoo benefits are seeped in the properties of millets and their nourishing abilities for maintaining our health. So, why not savour this practice by making a batch of ragi ladoo for the whole family? Goodness and indulgence, here we go!