Churma Ladoo For Muharram: Traditional Recipe With A Nutty, Crumbly Finish

Prepare churma ladoos this Muharram to celebrate the festival with a treat that brings people together. Churma ladoos are especially good for large gatherings as they give you the option for individual serving that is preferred when you are serving it to kids and elderly. Individual servings make the distribution less messy and easy. These churma ladoos are festive friendly and you can also have them any day and anytime you want. You can also prepare these ladoos and store them for up to a week to enjoy later, so you don’t have to worry about spoilage when you make some extra. Follow the recipe below and make delightful churma ladoo at home.

Ingredients:

• Whole wheat flour – 2 cups
• Ghee – ½ cup for dough + ¼ cup for frying + 2–3 tbsp for binding
• Jaggery, grated or powdered – 1 cup
• Cardamom powder – 1 tsp
• Almonds – 2 tbsp, chopped
• Cashews – 2 tbsp, chopped
• Poppy seeds – 1 tbsp
• Milk – 2–3 tbsp
• Raisins – 1 tbsp

Instructions:

Step 1: Make Dough & Fry Muthiyas

Take a bowl and in it combine whole wheat flour with ½ cup of ghee. Rub the flour between your palms until it starts to look like breadcrumbs. The mixture should have a few big chunks of flour that look like crumbs and it should stop sticking to your hand. This is when you know that ghee is perfectly mixed. Once this is done, add water gradually and knead the mixture to a stiff dough. Do not make the dough too soft. Shape the dough into small balls or muthiyas/ Heat ½ cup of ghee in a pan and deep fry these dough balls on medium heat until it turns golden brown and crisp. Take the balls out on a paper towel and let the oil drain. Set aside to cool.

Step 2: Prepare Churma

Once the balls have cooled down, smash them with your hands and break them to a coarsely ground mixture. You can also use a mortar and pestle to make the crumbs, and also you can use a rolling pin to crush the balls, there are a lot of options to make the mixture evenly crumbly.

Step 3: Cook the Mixture

Take a saucepan and heat 1 to 2 tablespoons of ghee in it. Add chopped nuts and toast them slightly until turned golden and brown. Once the nuts have turned brown and aromatic, add the churma, grated jaggery, and cardamom powder to the mixture. Mix everything together well on low heat until jaggery melts and blends in completely. Melted jaggery will bring the mixture together. Once the jaggery is completely mixed, turn off the heat.

Step 4: Shape the Ladoos

While the mixture is still warm, add a splash of milk and more ghee to help with the binding. Take small portions of the mixture in your greased hands and shape it into round ladoos. You can adjust the content of milk and ghee based on how dry the mixture is. If the mixture is already sticky enough to bind, you can skip adding milk. Once you have made the ladoos, roll them in poppy seeds.

Step 5: Serve

Serve these churma ladoos as a part of Muharram niyas as an offering and enjoy them as a heartfelt dessert by sharing them with family, friends, and your community.

Variations to try with Churma Ladoos:

The recipe for churma ladoos is versatile and you can make it in many different ways as per your flavor preferences. Here are a few variations you can try.

1. Flour Variations: Instead of whole wheat flour you can choose multigrain flour or mixed flour like bajra, jowar, and besan along with wheat. You can also try gluten free flour like almond flour and rice flour for a healthy touch. When using gluten free flour, make sure to add a little extra ghee or a touch of milk to bind it.
2. Sweetener Variations: Replace jaggery with powdered sugar or castor sugar to get a different flavor profile that is not as intense. You can also opt for palm jaggery or coconut sugar to get a richer and caramel like flavor.
3. Texture Variations: Introducing texture makes the ladoos more wholesome. Add some grated coconut to bring moisture and tropical twist, add roasted gram dal or daliya and ground it to powder to bring a nutty touch and light texture. You can also add some roasted semolina mixed with wheat flour for a grainier texture.
4. Spice Twist: For a warming flavor, you can add a few spices to the churma ladoos. Spices like nutmeg, saffron, and dry ginger powder go well with the deep flavor of jaggery and nuts. Cardamom powder brings warmth and depth. A pinch of salt enhances the sweetness of churma ladoos.