Ragi Laddoos

To keep up with the great demand of " energy balls" from Little M, I decided to use up some Sprouted Ragi flour my parents sent me and make some Laddoos. I have to say- these are the bomb! So delicious! I'm a fan, more so than little M.

Ingredients

1.5 C sprouted Ragi flour

1/3C- 1/2 C ghee

1/2 tsp cardamom powder

2 Tbsp broken cashews

2 Tbsp raisins

2 Tbsp dried coconut powder

3/4 C grated or powdered jaggery

Method

Start with melting 2T of ghee in a hot skillet. Fry the cashews and raisins and then pick them out. Add the Ragi flour in the left over melted ghee and stir constantly. The ghee should be completely incorporated into the flour and the flour should take on a darker color and smell nice and toasty. Finally, add the powdered coconut and roast for a minute. Now, transfer to a mixer and add the grated jaggery along with a few Tbsp of ghee ( I added four) and the cardamom powder. Give it a whirl in the mixer until it gets incorporated. The warmth of the flour should melt the jaggery and the ghee. 

Dump it out into a plate and add the fried raisins and cashews. Mix and while the flour is still warm, work quickly to make laddoos. If it's hard to keep the balls together, add more ghee as needed. At one point, the flour should become easy to shape.

Verdict

I find these positively addictive. 

Energy balls ( Amaranth Peanut laddoos )

Little M has developed quite a sweet tooth now. He asks for sweet treats regularly and I'm trying different " healthy " treats that have some nutrition other than just sugary sweets.

I don't have an exact recipe for most of these, because this is my first time making these treats and each time has been an experiment.

For these scrumptious amaranth laddoos ( Energy balls, as little M likes to call them), here is the rough sketch.

Ingredients

1 C popped amaranth

1/3 C jaggery

1 Tbsp water

2 Tbsp ghee

1/4 tsp cardamom powder

1 C peanut butter

Method

Melt the jaggery in the water and boil until it reaches softball stage. Add ghee and cardamom and the popped amaranth and mix well. Turn off the heat and start making balls. This failed for me- it was an unholy crumbly mess. So I added peanut butter until it came together. 

Miso Ginger Soup

We've been getting pelted by colds and coughs for the last several months. Little M finds this soup the most appetizing and comforting among all the foods offered to him. 

Ingredients 

2 C water

1 Tbsp freshly grated ginger

Handful of cilantro( leaves and stems) finely minced

1/8 tsp fresh ground pepper

1 allspice, crushed

1 star anise

3 scallions, sliced

1/3 C tofu cubes

1/2 Tbsp soy sauce

1 Tbsp Miso paste

Method 

Bring all ingredients except for the soy sauce and the miso to a boil. Cover and simmer for 15 min. In a small bowl, dissolve the miso paste in a few tablespoons of the broth. Turn off the heat and return the dissolved miso into the main pot. Add soy sauce to taste and serve immediately.