Methi Sonth Ladoo– Winter Tonic Food (No Flour)

Grind fenugreek seeds into a slightly coarse powder then soak it in milk for 5-7 hrs. (Important step as it reduces the bitterness). It will absorb all the milk and will puff up.

Meanwhile dry roast nuts (chironji, pista, walnut, almond, cashew and poppy seeds) one by one in a heavy bottom pan over low flame for a minute or two and crush them coarsely in food processor. Keep aside.

Dry roast grated coconut until fragrant and slightly golden in colour. Keep aside.

Dry roast the lotus seeds, roughly chop the dried dates and put them in blender together along with black pepper, cinnamon and long peepar. Make fine powder out of it. Keep aside.

Grind the roasted bengal gram into a fine powder and keep aside (It will act as replacement for flour).

Fry gond little at a time in 1/4 cup ghee over low flame, cool and crush it into a coarse powder and keep aside (Don't fry in hot ghee else center of gond will not puff up).

Put remaining ghee, reserve 2 tbsp of ghee, in same pan. Roast the soaked methi over low flame, stirring continuously until it becomes light brown, separates the ghee and gives nice aroma. This step takes about 20-25 minutes.

In same pan add powdered bengal gram and roast along with methi for about a minute.

Switch off the flame. Add all crushed nuts, raisin, roasted coconut, lotus seed-dry dates powder, all powdered spices and fried gond. With the warmth of methi-bengal gram mixture, everything added will get fry.

Now in another pan (no non-stick) add reserved 2 tbsp ghee and jaggery. Just melt while stirring continuously. Don't cook further.

Mix jaggery syrup into rest of mixture with a wide strong spatula, turn mixture over and over.

Take little amounts of mixture while its still hot and shape it into ladoos.

This recipe makes 16 medium sized ladoos. Store in air tight containers and these will last 4-6 weeks.