Churma Ladoo No Frying

Traditional Sweet, Churma Ladoo – No Frying!

I think we all have recipes our moms make that just don’t match up to anyone else’s.  For me, churma ladoos are one of them. My Mom’s churma ladoos just hit the spot for me.  The right balance of jaggery and ghee is balanced with nuts, raisins, poppy seeds, and coconut.  She uses an ingredient that others normally do not and it gives it such a yummy taste.

There are different variations of this dish based on family traditions and recipes. Some may use sugar or a different combination of flour and very commonly they are made by deep frying. This version is not fried and uses jaggery. 

You can also make churma laddu with leftover roti / rotlis!

Churma ladoos are traditional ladoo made in Gujarat and Rajasthan.  This authentic sweet recipe is popular to serve during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival. But, they are also served at other festival times throughout the year.

They are made of whole wheat flour, jaggery, ghee and a few other ingredients.   Delicious churma ladoo is then formed by rolling the mixture into a ball.  The ladoos are then rolled or covered in white poppy seeds.  The white poppy seeds are known as khus khus in Gujarati.

Ingredients for churma ladoos

The main ingredients of this recipe entail whole wheat flour, ghee, and jaggery. 

• Wheat flour
• Semolina flour (rava/sooji)
• Ghee
• Jaggery
• Coconut
• White poppy seeds
• Dry fruits:  Almond slivers and raisins
• Nutmeg powder – Different from most recipes and adds great flavor

Optional: Substitute cardamom powder for nutmeg powder.  These churma na ladwa are most often made with cardamom powder, but I LOVE using nutmeg instead.

How to make churma ladoo without frying

There are three steps to making the ladoo:

1. Prepare Bakhri

Mix the flours with water and oil to make a stiff dough. 

Make small balls of the dough which will then be rolled out into big, thick rounds and roasted on the stove top. 

If you are familiar with Gujarati cuisine, you are making bhakri.

The bhakris are then torn up into small pieces and put into a food processor.  So, you will have a fine powder (slightly coarse powder)! Keep the powder in a deep bowl.

2. Prepare Churma Mixture

Heat ghee in a pan on the stovetop.  Once the ghee melted, add jaggery. Add melted ghee and melted jaggery to the churma mixture.  Added to that are coconut, almonds, raisins, and nutmeg.  Add a little warm milk or warm water to help with binding. Mix well.

3. Make Laddoos

Use your hands to form a round shape to make ladoos.  Top with khus khus (white poppy seeds) and serve. 

Note: I use ½ cup ghee. You can add a little more if that is your preference.  I don’t like to use too much ghee.  Just taste the mixture and adjust it to your liking.

Alternative ways to make churma ladoo

They are traditionally made by frying whole wheat but I don’t like those versions.  So, this is a no fry version I’ve come to love and crave every year!

Making it with sugar

Some make these with sugar but we have always used jaggery.  Jaggery gives the ladoos a deeper more delicious taste IMO.

But, understand if you do not have jaggery or just prefer sugar! I would substitute sugar for the amount of jaggery.

Serving Suggestions

This sweet dish can be served on its own or as part of a meal like a Gujarati thali.

Since this is a traditional recipe, if you are looking for a traditional way to serve it, it is often served with Vaal in Gujarat.

How to store the ladoos

These have a long shelf life, especially if refrigerated or frozen. Store in an airtight container.  Ladoos can be kept out in a container for 3-4 days. They will last for about 10 days. You can also freeze ladoos for up to 8 months.

Hope you enjoy this authentic sweet recipe!