I feel I should start my article by informing you that Til (Sesame) Laddu is not something unique to Jammu. They are cherished throughout the country. Their sweet taste makes people come back for more every time. I believe there's even a Maharashtrian saying about them - something along the lines of "Til Gul Ghya God God Bola" which roughly translates to "eat a Til Laddu and you'll only say polite words" (Marathi readers of the blog, I apologise if I've got it wrong). They are also referred to as Pugga/Bhugga in north India.
I felt it was important to write about Til Laddus because they hold a cultural significance for Hindus in North India. On the day of Pugga Vrat/Krishna Paksha Chauth, mothers in North India fast and prepare Til Laddus.
I will be focussing on the most common way of preparing Til Laddus in this post. However, I've come across variations which also include desiccated coconuts along with crushed peanuts and almonds. If you wish to experiment and go down that route, the comments section below would be a wonderful place to share your experiences :)
Before I walk you through the ingredients and steps, here are some relevant metrics for the recipe
Difficulty - Easy.
Prep time - around 20 mins.
Cooking time - none.
Servings - approx 8 to 10.
Ingredients
Sesame seeds - 250 grams approx
Raw sugar - 200 grams
Mawa/Khoya - 130g.
Ghee/Clarified butter - 1 tsp
The Process
Dry roast the sesame seeds on medium heat for around 10 mins or until slightly browned. Once done, turn off the heat and allow the seeds to cool.
Grind the seeds and raw sugar using a grinder into a coarse powder. Leave the mixture aside to cool.
Next up, add the Ghee into the pan along with the Khoya and cook for around 5-6 minutes on medium heat. Turn off the flame afterwards.
Mix the sugar and powdered sesame seeds from step 2 into the Khoya and mix well.
With slightly greased palms, start picking up the mixture from the previous step and shape it in the form of balls of a decent size.
Cool the shaped balls in the fridge for an hour or so before indulging.
That's it; your Til Laddus are ready. Bon appetite. As always, I'd love to hear what you have to say in the comments down below. See you in the next one.