These simple and scrumptious carrot laddus (aka gajar ka laddu) are a luxurious treat for ya! No artificial flavors,colors or preservatives... As natural as it can be! Simple carrot laddu recipe using Instant pot. Pressure cooker method also given in recipe notes.
This month Framed Recipes completes third rotation around the sun!
Yipppeeee!!
THANK YOU for being there with us so far. We appreciate your support and feedback.
Yes, it has been fun three years, learning new things, be it in terms of recipes, blogging or photography... It has been a fabulous adventure and we loved sharing with you.
Of course there were numerous ups and downs, but one thing I learned is that for every down turn, there definitely is going to be an upward trend.
Usually, in Indian households, every celebration starts with a Mithai (something sweet). For the past two years, to celebrate the blog anniversary or blog birthday (if you prefer it that way), I made Bhappa Doi and Rigo Jansci.
Bhappa Doi is simple steamed sweetened yogurt that is absolutely divine and just melt in the mouth. A classic Bengali sweet dish.
If you have a chocolate aficionado in your life, do check out the Rigo Jancsi recipe. It is fabulous!
This year, I decided to make some carrot laddu. These are based off of a recipe of carrot halwa that my husband and my sis-in-law grew up on. The carrot halwa recipe is pretty straight forward and does not require a lot of expertise. I modified that recipe (from my mother-in-law) to make these delicious carrot laddus.
These carrot laddus or carrot truffles don't look very attractive with out the final dusting of coconut flakes or you can also use some crushed pistachios. This final roll in the coconut flakes or pistachios not only act as garnish, they also provide a little bit of texture.
Carrot Laddu Recipe Notes
- Adjust the quantity of sugar to suit your taste.
- The time required to make these should be used as an approximation. The actual time required may vary depending on the water content in the carrots.
- Recipe can be doubled.
- Left overs can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They have lasted me for about a week.
- These carrot laddus can be used as stuffing for stuffed parathas and can be served for breakfast or used as a lunch box staple. Please note that you will not get a smooth finish like aloo paratha because of the nuts and raisins etc. that are used.
- When you roll the laddus when they are slightly wet/greasy, the coconut flakes absorb the orange color. But if you rest (for like about 5-8 minutes) the carrot laddu for a little while before rolling them in coconut flakes, the flakes retain the snow-white color. But make sure that the laddus do not dry out completely before your roll them in the desiccated coconut or pistachios.
- I have given the recipe for the carrot laddus using Instant Pot method. The same can be followed using a regular pressure cooker over the stove top. This will work even without pressure cooker, but it will take longer to cook the grated carrots in sugar without a pressure cooker. Always use medium heat when preparing on the stove top.
- Do not use ready-to-use grated carrots. Grate the carrots either using a box grater or using food processor. Grating requires a little elbow grease, but it is totally worth it.
- Refrigerate these delicate laddus before serving firms them up a little bit.
If you visit a traditional Mithaiwala (sweet vendor) in India, you will see different kinds of sweets stacked like pyramids and I just could not help myself from doing that. I love this shot, I have used the same styling while photographing the Churmundo(wheat flour laddu)
Carrot Laddu Recipe
Carrot Laddu
These simple and scrumptious carrot laddus are a luxurious treat for ya! No artificial flavors or colors... As natural as it can be!
Ingredients
- 1 lb carrot; peeled;washed and pat dried
- ¾ cup sugar;adjust to taste
- 2-3 tablespoon ghee +more for greasing if required (clarified butter)
- 1 tablespoon cashewnuts; broken into small pieces
- 1 tablespoon raisins
- 1 teaspoon cardamom powder (ground cardamom)
Garnish
- Dried desiccated coconut (unsweetened)
- coarsely crushed pistachios
Instructions
Preparation
- Peel, wash and pat dry carrots. Trim the ends.
- Using the large holes of a box grater, grate the carrots.
Cooking
- Heat ghee in the Instant pot in the saute mode.
- Roast the cashew nut pieces and raisins separately for a couple of minutes. Drain on a paper towel till ready to use.
- To the same ghee, add the grated carrot and saute for 5-8 minutes till the raw smell goes and the carrot starts to soften.
- Add the sugar, stir to mix. The carrots will start releasing liquid. Close the lid. Turn the Instant pot mode to Manual mode and vent in "Seal" position. Pressure cook for 10 minutes. Wait for the pressure to release naturally.
- Switch mode to saute and saute till all the liquid evaporates and mixture starts to thicken. Take some mixture (it will be hot) in your hand and see if you can roll into a ball. (If not, continue sauteing for some more time.) When the mixture rolls into a ball and holds shape, add the cardamom powder, cashew nuts and raisins and mix well.
- Transfer to a tray and let it cool for some time.
- Using a tablespoon measure scoop out the mixture and roll into small balls (grease your palm with ghee if required). Repeat with rest of the mixture.
- Garnish these laddus by gently rolling in desiccated coconut or crushed pistachios.
- Refrigerate them for at least 30 minutes before you serve.
Notes
Adjust the quantity of sugar to suit your taste.
The time required to make these should be used as an approximation. The actual time required may vary depending on the water content in the carrots.
Recipe can be doubled.
Left overs can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They have lasted me for about a week.
These carrot laddus can be used as stuffing for stuffed parathas and can be served for breakfast or used as a lunch box staple. Please note that you will not get a smooth finish like aloo paratha because of the nuts and raisins etc. that are used.
When you roll the laddus when they are slightly wet/greasy, the coconut flakes absorb the orange color. But if rest them for a little while before rolling them in coconut flakes, the flakes retain the snow-white color. But make sure that the laddus do not dry out completely before your roll them.
I have given the recipe for the carrot laddus using Instant Pot method. The same can be followed using a regular pressure cooker over the stove top. This will work even without pressure cooker, but it will take longer to cook the grated carrots in sugar without a pressure cooker. Always use medium heat when preparing on the stove top.
Do not use ready-to-use grated carrots. Grate the carrots either using a box grater or using food processor.
Refrigerate these delicate laddus before serving firms them up a little bit.
Use dried desiccated coconut for garnish for best results.
Like I told you at the beginning of the blog post, there have been ups and downs. Humor is one of the things what kept me going when things were not all rosy.
- Read about what I learned during first year of blogging.
- Last year, I asked my blogger friends to share their secrets and the learning from their blogging experience. Read about it at Why I blog?
- I penned about my second year blogging experience (in a humorous way) at My Blogging Journey.
Once again, thank you so much for being part of Framed Recipes. it means a lot to us.
Happily Spring forward!!! 🙂
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Namaste.
Deliciously Your’s.
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[…] Carrot Laddus – These are super tasty carrot truffles. Very easy to prepare and store. […]