¾~1cupGrated Jaggery*, adjust as per sweet preference
½teaspoonGround Cardamom
¼cupVery soft or melted Ghee, divided, plus more if needed
Instructions
In a heavy bottom pan on medium-low heat, add urad dal and dry roast, stirring constantly, until lightly browned and fragrant. This will take about 8~10 minutes. Remove onto a wide plate to cool. In the same pan, add almonds, cashews and dry roast until lightly browned. Remove from heat and let cool.
Once dal and nuts have cooled completely, add them to a blender and grind into a fine powder. Add grated jaggery and pulse a few times to evenly incorporate it with the other ingredients. Transfer the dal mixture into a medium size mixing bowl.
To the mixture add cardamom and 3 tablespoons of ghee. Mix well to combine. The mixture to form a ball when you press it with your fingers. If the mixture seems too crumbly, then add more melted ghee as needed, so the mixture holds together.
Make small bite size ladoo and place them in an airtight container. You can store these for up to 1 week.*
Notes
Make sure to evenly roast urad dal on medium-low flame until nice and fragrant. This is the most important step in the recipe because it lends all the flavor to the ladoo. So, take your time and do not rush this step.
Your nose is the best indicator to know when the dal is ready. Once you smell the fragrance of roasted lentils from the pan, it is time to take them off from the pan.
To make the traditional sunnundalu recipe, just simply omit the nuts and reduce the quantity of jaggery to ⅔~3/4 cup
You can make sunnundalu with sugar as well. Simply substitute grated jaggery with granulated sugar. Give it a whiz in the blender along with the lentils to make it into a powder.
Ghee is a very important part of the recipe. Do not use oil or unsalted butter.
You can reduce the quantity of ghee in the recipe to 2 tablespoons. In which case, you will have to add 2~3 tablespoons of warm milk to form the ladoo.
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.