I finally made ladoos the other day. It’s basically a round sweet dough ball. The recipe I used called for chickpea flour, I have no idea if that’s standard. Disclaimer: I know nothing about Indian food other than what I’ve seen in Bollywood movies or briefly experienced while on a business trip to India. I do know that I’ve never met an Indian dish I didn’t like.
That all said, I’ve wanted to make ladoos for a while, but most of the recipes I came across were a bit daunting. Seriously, apparently it’s expected that you roast the flour or even grind the chickpeas. I agree, that probably results in the best product, but that’s going to be a hard no from me. I finally found a less intimidating recipe so I made the attempt.
I don’t remember eating ladoos in India, everything I know about them I learned while watching English Vinglish, a Hindi movie about a woman who visits the US for her niece’s wedding. Her family looks down on her because her English isn’t super great so she secretly enrolls in English classes. She is the most adorable human you’ve ever seen and happens to also be a fantastic cook. I suppose, when it comes down to it, ladoos she makes are essentially one of the characters in the movie, so I was intrigued.
I’m sure my ladoos were no prize winner, they will likely not inspire you to make them, but if you are at all into Hindi movies, you should definitely watch English Vinglish, you won’t be sorry.
Karen Alma 