Carrot Coconut Laddoos – A Diwali Treat 

Hasty Tasty Treat for Diwali

Nandini Mukherjee’s Carrot Coconut Laddoos in 8 Easy Steps

No matter how you spell them – laddoos, ladoos or laddus – they taste delicious!

“One of my fondest childhood memories is of the preparations that went on in the kitchen to make sweets and savory treats to welcome friends and family into our home for Diwali,” says New Yorker Nandini Mukherjee who is quite a wiz at cooking and has been a chef and restaurateur.  “This is a family recipe for one of the treats, carrot and coconut ladoos. Legend has it that the first laddoos were made out of turmeric, sesame seeds and jaggery and used by ancient Indian physicians as an antiseptic after surgery!

Well, these laddoos are made of carrots, coconut and milk and are pure heaven.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon of ghee or unsalted butter

1.5 cups of finely grated carrots

 3⁄4 cup of unsweetened dessicated coconut

 1 cup of condensed milk

 1 teaspoon rose water

 1.5 tsp cardamom powder.

 The 8 Easy Steps…

1. Heat a pan on medium heat, and add the ghee. Add the carrots and saute for 5 minutes till they are softer and drier.
2. Add the coconut and fry another 2 minutes.
3. Reduce the heat to low and add the condensed milk and rose water.
4. Cook till the mixture reduces and holds it shape, around 6-8 minutes. (If you want to make a vegan version, you can substitute the ghee with vegetable oil and the condensed milk with 3⁄4 cup sugar, you will have to cook it for a bit longer, about 10-12 minutes.)
5. Add the cardamom powder and mix and cook for another 5 minutes.
6. Take the pan off the heat and keep it aside till the mixture cools down.

 7.Grease your palms with the ghee and take 1 portion of the mix and roll in till it’s round in shape (press it gently in your closed fist for the mix to hold together).

8.Roll it in the desiccated coconut and put it on the serving platter. Repeat with the rest of the laddoos.

 Your ladoos are ready to be served. You can store the remaining laddoos in an airtight container in the refrigerator for a week.