Coconut Laddoo ... traditional way that my mom makes :)

Coconut ladoo and coconut barfi are my very big favorites. I remember my mom making batches of them for me when I was in my hostel. She always used to send it across every time there was a chance for someone to come down to my hostel. All my roommates used to praise my mom's effort in making them. Perfect taste, perfect packing and tons of love were always filled in it every time I have received them

She made it different ways ... with milk, without milk, very soft textured, a little stiffer type and guess it right, I loved every style she made it in. Hmmm..... I can't get my thoughts out of that sight in my mind :). Love you mom.. you are the best cook :)

Try this for Diwali and enjoy the festival. Tastes divine in every bite

Serves... Makes around 10-12 ladoos

Serve option... Room Temp

This is what u'll need....

Milk - 500 ml
Sugar - 1/2 cup + 2 tbspn
Coconut - 1/2 cup
Cardamom/ Elaichi - a pinch
Ghee - 1 tbspn

Here is the stir....

• Pour milk in a nonstick pan and bring it to a boil. Simmer this for a while and reduce it to 1/2 a cup. This will take around 30-35 mins

• Make sure to keep stirring often to avoid milk from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Also keep scraping off the sides and add it to the milk

• Once the milk is reduced keep it aside so that it cools down

• Once cooled put it in a blender jar and run it through for 5-7 seconds to make it a smooth. This step is purely optional but I get it to get silky so that it blends with the coconut better. Also it helps in a smoother, round finish on the ladoos

• Peel the coconut pieces and remove the dark brown layer. This is optional but I prefer it so in my ladoos

• Leave it on the kitchen counter for sometime and let the moisture dry. This will help to keep the powder from becoming sticky and juicy when we run it through the blender

• Break the coconut into small pieces and put them in a mixie jar

• Run quick pulses and make it into a powder. Don't overdo it else it become too fine. Let it be a little coarse for a beautiful texture

• Add this coconut powder to a nonstick pan. Saute it for a few seconds to remove any moisture from the coconut. Just roast it enough, don't turn it brown

• Once the coconut is toasted or roasted a little add the thickened milk to it

• Keep stirring it. It will be runny at this stage but slowly start thickening

• Stir continuously until all the moisture has evaporated and it looks like halwa. It will start leaving the pan sides and come together to form a dough like consistency

• Add sugar according to taste and stir well. We just need time to melt the sugar and blend in well. Turn off the flame

• Stir in cardamom powder and a tbspn of ghee. Give a finally stir

• Let it rest and cool down before you start working on it

• When the mixture is still warm, pinch out a little and shape it into small balls

• Garnish with nuts if you want but I prefer it just plain

Note:

• Take care when dry roasting the coconut. Make sure you do it on low flame to retain the color and texture
• Adjust sugar to your taste
• Adding little ghee will help you make the balls nice and round. You can skip it if you want as the greasiness from the simmered milk keeps the mixture moist enough