Bandaru Ladoo

Ingredients:

• 250 gms `senaga pindi' / bengal gram flour
• 250 gms `senaga pindi' / bengal gram flour
• 250 gms sugar
• 1 tsp cardamom powder
  
• Oil to fry
  
• 50 gms cashew nuts fried in a tbsp ghee

Method:

• Heat 4 tb spoons of oil and add it to `senaga pindi'.
  
• Mix well with hand and knead it into dough using water.
  
• It should not be too soft or too hard.
  
• The consistency should be like that of poori dough.
  
• Place the disc with medium size holes in the muruku press.
  
• Fill it with dough leaving space to place the upper part of the press.
  
• Heat the oil and carefully press the dough, like spirals and without overlapping, directly into the oil, keeping the bottom of the press 2 inches away from the oil.
  
• Take proper care that the hot fumes of oil does not reach your hands.
  
• Turn it over and remove when golden brown.
  
• Drain the oil and repeat the procedure till the dough is over.
  
• Powder them in a blender, measure and set aside.
  
• Take equal measure of sugar and make light syrup / `letha paakam'.
  
• Add the powdered spirals, cardamom powder and the cashew nuts to it and mix well.
  
• Turn off the flame and make big lime size balls of it by smearing ghee to your palms.

There is simple and easy way of doing it (provided there is no connoisseur in the family) for those who do not have the muruku press or time and patience. Powder sugar in a blender, fry `senaga pindi' lightly in 2 tbsps of ghee and mix them along with the roasted cashew nuts and cardamom powder. Add a little more ghee for consistency while making the laddus.