Gond Ke Laddu, How To Make Gond Laddu

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1¼ cup wheat flour ((atta))

¾ to 1 cup jaggery (powdered (I used ¾) or powdered sugar)

½ cup ghee ((5 tbsps for gond + 3 tbsps for atta) more if needed))

⅓ cup gond (about 65 grams edible gum/ antu)

2 tablespoons dried coconut ((copra - optional))

¼ cup almonds (& cashews (chopped or pulsed in mixer grinder))

1 tablespoons chironji ((optional or white poppy seeds))

¼ to ½ teaspoon cardamom powder (or elaichi)

Clean gond well removing pieces of bark or stones if any. It is good to buy cleaned gond.
Heat 1 tbsp ghee in a heavy bottom pan. Fry the almonds, cashews and chironji until slightly golden. Then add coconut and fry just for a minute. Remove and set aside.
Pour ¼ cup more ghee to the pan and heat it. The ghee has to be medium hot not very hot otherwise gond will turn bitter. Check if the ghee is hot by dropping 1 small piece of gond, it has to be rise and puff well.
Fry gond on a medium heat stirring well. Soon the gond will puff and turn light. Remove this as well to a plate and coarsely crush this with a rolling pin. If you like it fine, blend it with few fried nuts. Keep this aside.
Next pour 3 tbsps more ghee and heat. Saute wheat flour in this stirring often until it turns aromatic and deep golden. Remove from the stove.
Add the fried cashews, almonds and gond. Also add in cardamom powder. Mix all of these and let the temperature slightly come down but still hot.
Then add in jaggery and mix well to incorporate the ghee in gond with the laddu mixture. If using sugar, powder it and use.
When the mixture is still hot, take small portions of this and roll to balls. If the mixture is too dry heat 1 to 2 tbsps ghee and pour it.
Store gond ke laddu in air tight jar and use upto a month.