Bandar Laddu (Thokkudu Ladoo)

Bandar Laddu also known as Thokkudu ladoo are popular ladoo variety from Andhra Pradesh. These are made with gram flour, ghee, sugar and jaggery. With a stunningly smooth & creamy melt in the mouth texture, these delicious balls are sure to impress everyone. These ladoos originated in “Bandar” also known as Machilipatnam in Andhra Pradesh. Bandar ladoo are sold commercially and are rarely made at home except for weddings.

The right creamy melt in the mouth texture comes from pounding the mix in an appropriate stone pestle. Though there are many cut short methods to make these, they don’t yield good results.

This is a recipe I got from my elders in the family which has been followed for more than 2 decades and are prepared during weddings and other auspicious occasions.

If you follow the recipe exactly, you will have Bandar laddus that just melt up in the mouth, with the best smooth creamy texture and a great aroma of ghee and cardamom powder.

This is my 3rd attempt trying this recipe without anyone’s help and it wasn’t difficult at all. They turned out delicious and perfect.

The recipe can be divided to parts and can be done on 2 different days as I did. Karapusa can be made on the first day and the rest on the second day

Notes:
1. sugar syrup at one string consistency else the laddus can turn flat or may not bind well
2. use ghee with caution at step 12, else your laddus can turn flat

More Ladoo Recipes
Besan Ladoo
Coconut Ladoo
Kova Ladoo

Photo Guide

How to make Bandar Laddu (Stepwise photos)

Preparation

1. Mix besan with just enough water to make it a stiff dough. The dough must be stiff when you touch and not sticky or soggy else it will absorb all the ghee when you deep fry the karapusa.

2. Heat a deep pan with 1 cup ghee.

3. Grease your muruku mold or chakkali press.Take a portion of the dough and fill the mold or press.

4. When the ghee is hot, reduce the flame to medium and press the dough into the ghee and deep fry till crusty. The color of the karapusa should not turn dark. To get the right color, the heat must be reduced to low when they are half fried and fry till they turn crusty. So the resulting ones must be of light color and not brown and yet crusty. Check the pics

5. Transfer these to a ventilated sieve or a tray. Finish frying till the dough finishes and crumble them to pieces. Save the left over ghee.

6. Meanwhile pound this crumble karapusa in a stone pestle or mixer till it turns to a fine powder. There should be no large chunks left, if needed can use a sieve with large holes to remove the pieces. Divide the whole kara to 2 batches and pound them. Do not let your mix heat up else it becomes like a nut meal, will begin to ooze out ghee. So take a break for few minutes and repeat. Keep the pound mix ready.

Make the Ladoo

7. Add jaggery and water to a pan and melt it completely and filter to remove any impurities.

8. Bring this back to the pan and boil till one string consistency.

9. When the syrup reaches one string consistency, add the pound flour. Off the stove and mix well to remove any lumps. Set this aside to cool

10.Once it is cool you can see a dry mix, pound it again in batches

11. Add sugar. Pound it again for the 3rd time in batches.

12. Heat the ghee that was remaining after frying kara, fry nuts and raisins and pour this to the mix, add rock sugar too. Mix well and make bandar laddu. if needed add more warm melted ghee and make the balls.

Shape Bandar Laddu

13. The most important step, grease your palms with ghee generously each time and roll the laddus, each for atleast few seconds. This helps to give a smooth texture.

14. Take a clean muslin cloth and place one ladoo at one time and roll them along with the cloth just like we roll the ladoos. this is an extra step we follow when we pound the mix in an electric mixer and not in a stone pestle. After few hours they appear more smooth.

Store Bandar laddu in an airtight jar stays good for around 2 weeks. If refrigerated they will keep good for a month.

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