Rajasthani Churma Ladoo Wheat Jaggery Ball

Method

1. 1

   Make a firm wheat dough: Combine wheat flour with 1/4 cup melted ghee. Mix the ghee into the flour with fingertips until crumbly. Add water gradually — about 1/2 cup — kneading to form a firm, stiff dough. Much stiffer than chapati dough. Divide into 8 to 10 small balls.

2. 2

   Shape into small flat discs: Roll or press each ball into a flat disc about 4 cm wide and 1 cm thick. Do not make them smooth like regular bread — rough, slightly uneven surfaces are fine.

3. 3

   Deep fry the wheat discs: Heat oil in a kadai on medium. Fry the wheat discs in batches for 4 to 5 minutes until deep golden and cooked through. Test one by cutting open — inside should be fully cooked and golden, not white and raw. Drain on paper towels.

4. 4

   Cool completely: Let the fried wheat discs cool completely to room temperature. They must be cold before grinding.

5. 5

   Break into pieces: Break the cooled fried discs into rough pieces.

6. 6

   Grind to a coarse powder: Place the broken pieces in a mixer. Grind for 5 to 10 seconds in pulses — you want a coarse, grainy powder, not a fine flour. Some texture should remain — the coarseness is the characteristic of churma. Stop and check after each pulse — do not over-grind.

7. 7

   Warm the ghee: Heat 1/2 cup ghee in a pan until just melted and warm. Do not overheat.

8. 8

   Mix churma with warm ghee: Pour the warm ghee over the coarse wheat powder. Mix thoroughly with a spoon so all the powder is coated in ghee.

9. 9

   Add jaggery and flavourings: Add grated jaggery, cardamom powder, chopped almonds and pistachio. Mix well. The warmth of the ghee will help the jaggery meld with the mixture. Taste — the churma should be sweet, nutty, fragrant and slightly coarse in texture.

10. 10

    Shape into ladoos while warm: Take 2 tablespoons of the mixture and press firmly with both palms in a rolling motion to form a smooth ball. Work while the mixture is warm — it becomes too hard to shape when cold. If mixture cools before finishing, warm briefly. Let the shaped ladoos cool completely.

11. 11

    Note: Churma Ladoo is the sweet that accompanies dal baati in the famous Rajasthani three-part meal. As a standalone sweet it is made for Makar Sankranti, Holi and Raksha Bandhan. The deep frying of the wheat before grinding gives churma its distinctive roasted, caramelised flavour — this cannot be replicated by simply mixing raw flour with ghee and jaggery.