MAHUA LADDOO

Here is a rare delicacy which is sugar free and ghee free. The mahua is a large tree which flowers in abundance in late spring or early summer (March end to April beginning). These flowers are small, pale green and translucent – delicate and soft. As a female name in rural India it evokes an image of ethereal beauty. Recall that the woman who was sold by her cruel step mother in the cult classic “Teesri Kasam” is called “Mahua Ghatwarin” or Mahua of the ghats. Every morning during the late spring season you will find a carpet of these flowers below the tree. They ferment rapidly and mahua is a pretty strong drink. Here we exploit not its intoxicating properties, but its inherent sweetness. These flowers are sun dried over a period of a week and can be bought in local markets.

Mahua
The ingredients for 15 small size pieces:

Firstly

• 1 cup sun dried mahua.
• 1/2 cup altsi, also called tisi seeds (linseed seeds).

Method:

Roast the linseed seeds for 5 to 7 minutes. Powder the roasted linseed seeds. Similarly roast the mahua for 5 to 7 minutes. Add powdered linseed to the mahua while you powder the latter (mahua) well. Shape it into small sized balls of laddoo.

The laddoo is ready to eat. It has the natural sweetness of mahua and no sugar is added to it. It is customary to eat it in winter since, in ayurvedic terms, it is “hot”.