During the training period when I had just joined a company as a software engineer, we’d attend training in a room where the AC was turned to really low, and we’d find ourselves freezing most of the times.

Then one day, a colleague brought methi laddus that his mother had parcelled him from home. It was just so awesome (I have a fondness for bitter things, and among all things bitter, methi laddu is probably the tastiest). When he didn’t turn up one day, was when I realised that on the days when I had a laddu in the morning, I wouldn’t feel as cold as the others. It was a startling realisation, and doubled my love for the laddus.

I tried making some to take long with me when I visited Kailash, but I guess I just chanced upon the wrong recipe, they were so soft that they ended up looking more like methi paste. Now, in the middle of one of the coldest Bangalore winters in the last few years, I was inspired to try again. And oh what a delightful decision it was.

I searched for methi laddu recipes, and it was only halfway through a recipe on tarla dalal’s website, that I realised that I was following a methi dana laddu, where one doesn’t grind the methi. It worried me a bit, but they turned out just fine, and I don’t think I’m going to bother grinding them the next time around either.

Time taken: 40-50 min
Makes 12-15 laddus

Ingredients

⅓ cup (50 gm) fenugreek (methi) seeds, soaked overnight
1½ cup  whole wheat flour
¾ cup ghee
¾ cup jaggery, grated/ powdered
⅓ cup crushed almonds (can also mix in chironji, cashews, walnuts, raisins)
3 tbsp powdered edible gum (gond)
½ tsp cardamom (elaichi) powder
½ tsp dried ginger (saunth) powder
a pinch of nutmeg powder

Instructions

Dry roast the whole wheat flour until fragrant, and set aside.

Heat the ghee in a pan, add the methi seeds and roast over low heat until golden brown.

Add the edible gum and roast until the spluttering stops.

Now add the almonds/ nuts and the whole wheat flour.

Mix in the jaggery and turn off the heat once it seems to have melted and blended. Add the spice powders.

Let it cool until it can be handled, and shape into laddoos. It is best to do this while it is still quite warm.

Store in an airtight container. It is best eaten along with a glass of milk,