Wishing you all a very Happy Diwali and a prosperous New Year!
“Oondo” (in Konkani) or “Laddoo” as it is called in Hindi is one of the most popular sweets in the Indian cuisine. The name itself refers to the shape. Many different varieties of Oondos are made in India depending on the region one comes from. In a Konkani speaking household, I am sure Churmoondo is one of the most loved sweet items. Granted that I am partial, but the Churmoondo that my Mom makes is one of the best that I have eaten and the credit for this recipe goes to my Mom. Though I was very picky when it came to sweets, Churmoondo has always been my favorite. So for this Diwali, I decided to make these yummy goodies. This is one of the easiest sweets that you can make.
Ingredients
- Wheat flour/Aata - 2 cups
- Ghee (clarified butter) - 1/2 cup
- Cardamom powder - 1 tblspoon
- Powdered sugar - 1 1/2 cup
- Golden raisins - as needed
Instructions
Powder the cardamom pods to a fine powder like consistency. I use a mortar and pestle to make the powder.
On a low to medium flame, place a heavy bottomed pan and dry roast the wheat flour till you no longer get the raw smell. This may take about 10-12 minutes. The flour also turns a light brown at this time. Keep stirring from time to time, the flour could get burnt if you leave it unattended.
Take the pan off the heat and make a small well/depression in the roasted flour. Pour the ghee into the depression formed in the flour and mix well. Put the pan back on the stove and roast for another 5 minutes or so.
After five minutes, take the pan off the stove and add the cardamom powder and mix well. Also add in the powdered sugar and mix well. Powdered sugar has a tendency to lump up in the warm flour, take care to see that there are no lumps present when you are done mixing.
Once the sugar is added, do not put the pan back on the stove as it can lead to the sugar melting and turning the oondos hard (been there, done that?).
Wait for about 5-10 minutes for the mixture to cool down slightly, or at least till it's warm enough for you to handle it with your bare hands.
Using clean dry hands, scoop a small amount of the flour mixture in your hands, also you can add a couple of raisins (optional) and pressing firmly, roll them into spherical shape. You can use both your palms to roll them to give the oondos a smooth finish. Depending on the amount of mixture you use for each oondo, this makes anywhere from 20-30 Oondos, I made about 27 Churmoondos with this mixture.
Note:-
- Use plain wheat flour, not any other wheat flour like multigrain, etc.
- Freshly ground cardamom powder is a must for this recipe in order to get the authentic Churmoondo flavor.
- Powdered sugar is also a must, you can either powder it in your blender or use the store bought ones. I used the store bought confectioners’ sugar.
- Adding raisins to your Churmoondo is totally optional, we love it in our house. It’s like finding an unexpected treat in your mouth when you pop the oondo in your mouth and bite on the raisin.
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