1/3 cup white sesame seeds or 50 grams-unhalled or hulled
1/4 cup peanuts
1/4 cup desiccated coconut
1/2 cup powdered jaggery or grated jaggery (heaped)or 100 grams
3 tablespoon water
1/4 teaspoon cardamom powder(ground cardamom)
oil-a bit for greasing the palms
How To Make Til Ke Laddu:
Roasting Sesame Seeds:
1.Heat a kadai or pan and add 1/3 cup sesame seeds to it.the pan should not be too hot but on low heat.
2.On a low flame roast the sesame seeds.stir at intervals.
3.The sesame seeds pop and change color.on a low heat,this takes about 2 to 3 minutes.do not brown them.
4.Once the sesame seeds are roasted well,remove them and set side in a plate.
Roasting Peanuts:
5.Then add 1/4 cup of peanuts to the same pan.These are raw peanuts and not toasted or salted peanuts.
6.Dry roast the peanuts on low heat stirring often until they become crunchy and get a few balck spots or blisters on them.
7.Remove the peanuts in a mortar pestle.Allow them to cool.If you want you can remove that peanut skins by rubbing them between your palms,once they are cooled.
Roasting Dessicated Coconut:
8.In the same pan,add 1/4 cup desiccated coconut.
9.Stir continuously while roasting the coconut.
10.Roast the coconut until it becomes light golden or golden.switch off the heat.
Making Til Laddu Mixture:
11.Add the roasted coconut to the roasted sesame seeds.
12.When the peanuts have cooled,crush them coarsely.you can also crush them in a blender or spice grinder.
13.Add the coarsely crushed peanuts to the roasted coconut and sesame seeds.
14.Next add 1/4 teaspoon cardamom powder.
15.Mix very well.set aside.
Making jaggery Syrup:
16.In the same pan or kadai,take 1/2 heaped cup powdered jaggery or grated jaggery.
17.Add 3 tablespoons water.
18.Keep the kadai or pan on the stovetop on low heat.
19.Keep on stirring the jaggery so that it dissolves.
20.On a low flame simmer this jaggery and water syrup.it will start bubbling first.
21.You have to continue to cook until you come to a soft ball stage in the jaggery solution.keep stirring non-stop.
22.To check the soft ball stage,take some water in a small bowl.drop a bit of jaggery solutin in the water.remove it and it should be sticky and form itself into a soft ball.
23.At this consistency in the below photo,the soft ball stage had reached in the jaggery syrup.
Making Til Ke Laddu:
24.At this stage,switch off the heat and add the dry roasted mixture of sesame seeds,desiccated coconut,crushed peanuts and cardamom powder.
25.Mix quickly and thoroughly the dry roasted mixture with the jaggery solution.
26.Keep the pan on your kitchen countertop or work surface.
27.When the mixture is still hot,begin to form and shape til laddu from it.if it is too hot,then wait for a minute and then form the laddu.
Spread some oil or water in your palms to form the ladoo.if you are not able to shape when the mixture is too hot,then wait for some seconds and then make the sesame laddu.
28.You can also use 1/2 to 1 tablespoon measure spoon,for scooping the mixture and making the sesame laddu.then just shape the laddu once you scoop them out.
29.For the last batch.scrape the sides very well and them make til laddu from it.
30.Make all the sesame laddu this way.store in an airtight jar at room temperature.
31.Serve til ke laddu during makar sankranti festival or have them as a sweet snack.you can easily double or triple the recipe and make a large batch that can be stored in an air-tight container for a couple of weeks.
