Its Sankranthi time! In todayβs post I present to you the same old sesame laddu or til laddus with a healthy twist! Yes this is my heathier version of sesame laddus; sugar-free and quick sesame laddu recipe or til laddu/ til laddoo to celebrate the kite flying festival.
Sankranthi is this yearβs first festival and let us all gear up to celebrate it with excitement and life. Makar Sankranti is a harvest festival celebrated across India and this year it is on 14-15th January 2015. It is known by different regional names including Uttarayan in Gujrat, Sankranti in Madhya Pradesh and Pongal in Tamil Nadu.
Special significance attached to the celebration of makar sankranti is kite flying. My son is already into the kite flying mood and wants to enjoy some nice sweets too.
Traditionally βtilβ or βsesameβ laddus are made to celebrate Sankranti. I decided to make a sugar free laddu using sesame, coconut, roasted chana or gram dal and dates. This is just not laddu but a highly nutritious nut ball full of calcium, fiber, protein, potassium and with no added sugar!
Check out the health benefits of sesame, dates and roasted chana or gram dal. These laddus are safe for toddlers above one year and are very good alternatives to health bars or chocolates π It can be given as snack or a sweet item in the lunch box.
Health benefits of dates and sesame laddu:
Til or sesame seeds have immense health benefits like low glycemic index & are valuable sources of dietary protein with fine quality amino acids that are essential for growth, especially in children. It is safe to give sesame seeds for toddlers more than a year.
DatesΒ or khajoor have a very high nutritional value. They are very good source of dietary potassium, calcium, magnesium & zinc. One can eat 1-2 dates every day for health benefits. It improves the overall bone health, immunity and strength. I try to avoid buying seedless dates & buy the normal dates and pit them myself.
Roasted gram dal/ chana dal/ pottukadalai provides a good base for the laddu and is a very good source of protein and carbohydrates.
How to make dates and sesame laddu?
Pit and chop the dates. Dry roast all the dals for 2-3 minutes and let it cool.Β Grind the dals to get a crushed texture. Grind dates and add to the blended mixture.
Melt ghee and add the dessicated coconut to it. Mix and knead to form laddoos or balls out of it.Β Our sugar-free pleasures are ready.
Further reading:
- Navaratri special whole green gram sundall for babies and toddlers
- 100% healthy Christmas cake recipe
- Home made hot chocolate for toddlers
- Ragi cake with chocolate sauce
Storage instructions:
They store well for more than 20 days. Store them in an air tight container.
- White Sesame Seeds - Β½ Cup
- Roasted gram or chana dal β Β½ cup
- Chopped Dates - ¾ Cup
- Dessicated or grated dry coconut - ½ Cup
- Ghee - ½ cup
- Remove the seeds from the dates & chop them
- Dry roast the sesame seeds and roasted gram/ chana dal on medium heat for 2-3 minutes in a thick pan. Keep aside to cool off
- Grind the roasted sesame and gram dal mixture for 5 -6 seconds to get a lightly crushed mixture/ powder
- Grind the dates and add the same to the mixture
- Add the dessicated coconut to the same along with melted ghee (1/4 cup). Mix & knead well to combine everything
- Keep mixing for approximately 2 minutes till you are able to make a laddu out of the mixture. In case the mixture is dry, add little more ghee. The quantity of ghee required depends on the amount of moisture in dates. So add the ghee only if needed.
- Take small amount of mixture in your hand and roll it out in the form of a ball /laddu
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Happy Sankranthi!!
16 Comments
Tried this yesterday, super simple and tasty, and in perfect time for Lohri! Thank you!
good one,specially in winters.
Hello Shraddha.
True. Sesame seeds laddus are real delight in winters.
Thanks
Hi there !!!!!
Thanks for this recipe I. tried it and my daughter likes it very much.thanks for this Neal recipe.
Hello Rozina
Am glad that your daughter liked it.
Thanks for reverting with the feedback
Happy Parenting π
Thanks for your feedback Rajeswari .
We are glad that you liked the recipe π
Hello Rozina,
Am so happy that your daughter liked the recipe.
Thanks for sharing your response.
Happy cooking .
Thank u soo much Neha…AWESOME recepie it is …
Thanks a lot SANGEETHA for this useful blog.
I am happy that i found this blog in the right time…its such a wonderful blog, no words to say ……..KUDOS …. π
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vow Thanks Neha for this wonderful preparation….
Thanks.
Do let me know how it turned out for you
Thanks Jayalekshmy.
Happy Sankranti and Pongal to you.
Do let me know how it turned out
Hi neha,
This is simply a healthy snack for kids to munch in. Great recipe π
Thanks Nisha & Mamata
Nice and very simple recipe. Definitely a must try recipe π
amazingly simple recipe Neha.will try for sure Happy Sankranti