Craving something sweet after a meal but avoiding sugar and jaggery for fitness reasons? Try these green moong dal dry fruit laddus. Made with moong dal, dates, raisins, nuts and seeds, they are easy to prepare and can be stored in an airtight container for a snack. Dates and raisins add natural sweetness, while moong dal, almonds, walnuts, cashews and seeds provide protein, healthy fats and energy.
Ingredients
Take 1 cup of green moong dal (green lentils), soaked for 5-6 hours.
You will also need 1/4 cup each of almonds, cashews and walnuts,
2 tbsp pistachios,
2 tbsp pumpkin seeds,
2 tbsp sunflower seeds,
1 tbsp chia seeds,
1 tbsp roasted flax seeds,
1/2 tsp cardamom powder and
2 tbsp ghee.
For natural sweetness, use
1/4 cup raisins and
8-10 seeded, finely chopped dates.
Preparations
Add the almonds, cashews, walnuts, pistachios, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds and flax seeds to the same pan. Lightly toast them over low heat, taking care not to over-toast them as the dried fruits and seeds may burn. Allow the mixture to cool, then chop it coarsely. Heat ghee in a pan and add the finely chopped dates and raisins. Cook, stirring constantly, for 2-3 minutes until they soften and begin to blend. Turn off the heat and let the mixture cool slightly.
These laddus get their sweetness from dates and raisins, so there is no need to add sugar or jaggery. If you prefer a completely unsweetened version, you can leave out both. However, the laddus will taste less sweet and the mixture may be more difficult to bind. If needed, add a little extra ghee to help shape the laddus.
Dry roast the soaked green moong dal and coarsely grind it. Lightly roast and chop the almonds, cashews, walnuts, pistachios and seeds. Meanwhile, soften the dates and raisins in ghee. Mix all the ingredients together, allow the mixture to cool slightly and shape it into laddus of your desired size.
