Sweet Coconut and Sesame-Date Ladoo

Ladoo is a Sanskrit word for "small ball."  In India, ladoos are often sweet treats of various compositions often served at weddings, used as offerings during Hindu religious ceremonies, and served as a traditional dessert during the holy month of Ramadan.

The timing seems perfect now to respond to my lingering urge of making ladoos.  It turns out they are very simple to make and require little to no cooking.  The best part is that most of the work is done between the palms of your hands, which means the person wh will be enjoying your work should first taste the love you spilled into the ladoo, then taste the sweet.

Here I decided to make two versions.  One healthy and almost vegan, and another sweet and decadent.

When I say almost vegan, it's because I used 1 tbsp of honey, and honey, as I recently discovered, is considered non-vegan although it is a pure gift from God, which makes it even more appropriate as a sweetener for ladoos.  That little rule (and the fact that I love eggs and cheese) makes it a complete impossibility for me to go vegan.  I mean how could one possibly live without honey??  Isn't our very  purpose in this life to seek out and find all the different types of honey this earth has to offer?

Anyway, if you are vegan, just use a less than stellar substitute and life will continue on in its dull honey-less fashion.

Sesame Date Ladoo

Yield 12

Ingredients

1 cup sesame seeds

3/4 cup chopped pitted dates

1/2 cup dessicated coconut

1 Tbsp honey (I used rosemary)

1 Tbsp water

Dry coconut for dusting

Directions

1.  Dry roast the sesame seeds until fragrant, about 2-3 minutes.  Transfer to a spice grinder and pulse for about 3-4 seconds.  You are not trying to make tahini here, just burst open the sesame seeds.  Reserve into a mixing bowl.

2.  Dry roast the coconut about 1-2 minutes.  Add to the mixing bowl.

3.  Add the dates, honey, and water and start to knead.  Yes you will get it all over your fingers, but it is necessary to feel the lovely textures at your digital extremeties.

4.  Once the dough is well mixed, make small balls about the size of a mini golf ball (if that even exists).  Roll them well between your palms, singing or humming your current emotion.

5.  Dust each ball with some dry coconut and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Sweet Coconut Ladoo

Yield 10

Ingredients

1 cup dessicated coconut

1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk

Poppy seeds for dusting

Directions

1.  Knead the coconut and condensed milk together to form a ball of dough.

2.  Make little balls and roll them between your palms, concentrating your loving thoughts into each one.

3.  Dust each ball with some poppy seeds and refrigerate until ready to serve.

So If there were to be an order in which to enjoy the ladoo, I would start with the Sesame Date Ladoo.  These are not too sweet, but full of sesame flavor decorated with specks of date.  These would be more of a fast-breaker.
The Sweet Coconut Ladoo are decadent and very sweet.. dessert like.  These would be appropriate for  a bit of indulging.  They leave a lingering taste and have a very interesting texture.

We may now move onto the other tasks at hand.. for this is just the beginning.. since I opened up a can of condensed milk, I had to figure something out before eating it all by the spoonful...