Small, soft, golden balls of gram flour and moong dal fried until puffed and topped with a sharp green chutney and grated radish. The most popular street snack of Delhi-influenced MP towns — sold from evening stalls across Bhopal, Gwalior and Indore.
Ingredients
For the ladoo balls:
1/2 cup moong dal (split yellow moong) — soaked 4 hours
1/2 cup gram flour (besan)
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/4 tsp asafoetida
a pinch of baking soda
salt
oil for deep frying
For the green chutney topping:
1 cup coriander leaves
1/2 cup mint leaves
2 green chilli
1/2 tsp cumin
juice of 1 lemon, salt, 2 tbsp water — blend smooth
For serving:
1/2 cup fresh grated radish (mooli)
1 tsp chaat masala
1/2 tsp black salt
Method
Soak and grind the moong dal: Soak 1/2 cup moong dal in 2 cups water for 4 hours. Drain. Grind in a mixer with just 2 tbsp water to a thick, smooth paste. Do not make it runny.
Make the batter: Combine the ground moong dal paste with gram flour, cumin seeds, asafoetida, baking soda and salt. Mix well. The batter should be very thick — it should drop off a spoon in a stiff mass.
Beat the batter: Beat the batter vigorously for 3 to 4 minutes with a spoon. This adds air and produces lighter, puffier balls. Test in water — a small drop should float.
Make the green chutney: Blend coriander leaves, mint, green chilli, cumin, lemon juice and salt with 2 tbsp water to a very smooth, bright green paste. Taste — it should be sharp, spicy and sour. Keep aside.
Grate the radish: Peel and grate fresh white radish on the coarse side of a box grater. Squeeze out excess water. Keep aside.
Heat oil on medium: Heat oil in a kadai on medium. Test with a small drop of batter — it should rise and puff in 3 seconds.
Fry the ladoo: Drop tablespoon-sized portions of batter into the oil. They will be rough and irregular in shape. Fry on medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes turning regularly until golden and puffed all over.
Drain: Remove with a slotted spoon. Drain on paper towels. The balls should be crispy outside and soft inside.
Plate and top: Place 4 to 5 ladoo per serving. Top generously with green chutney. Add a small mound of grated radish on top. Sprinkle chaat masala and black salt.
Serve immediately: Ram Ladoo must be eaten immediately — the crispy balls go soft within minutes of being topped with the wet chutney.
Note: Ram Ladoo is a Delhi street food that has become deeply embedded in the snack culture of northern Madhya Pradesh towns — particularly Gwalior, which borders Delhi's cultural sphere. The MP version uses more besan in the batter giving it a slightly denser texture than the pure moong dal Delhi version. Sold at evening street stalls across Bhopal, Gwalior and Indore from 5 pm onwards.