Moong Dal Laddu | Hesaru Bele Unde

Moong dal laddu or hesaru bele unde is a festival sweet made using moong dal, jaggery powder and ghee with nuts. An instant easy sweet recipe that can be prepared by any beginner.

They are melt-in-mouth delectable laddu with nutty flavor, making this classic traditional dessert for any festive occasion. These are protein packed delicious Indian sweet.

These moong dal ladoos are

Easy to make.

A beginner’s recipe.

Jaggery based healthy sweet.

These are good sources of protein.

It’s relatively easy to make compared to other ladoo.

No jaggery syrup laddu recipe

Ingredients notes

Moong dal or hesaru bele or yellow split gram or split yellow moong dal – Clean pest free moong dal or hesaru bele is used to make this ladoo.

Jaggery powder – Powdered jaggery is used to make laddu. We can either use crushed or powdered jaggery easily available in stores.

Ghee – Fresh homemade ghee is used to make laddu. Used melted ghee to mix well with laddu mixture.

Cardamom powder or yellakki – Green cardamon is commonly available, is used here . Outer skin is removed, and inner seeds are powdered freshly. It adds a distinct flavor to sweets.

Water – Used to wash moong dal for making it dust free.

Dry coconut or kobbari – Dried coconut is used for crunchiness in the laddu. We can use fresh coconut as well for laddu, however laddu doesn’t stay good for more than a week.

Cashewnuts – Finely chopped cashewnuts are added for crunchiness.

Equipment

Colander: Used for draining out water from washed moong dal.

Clean cloth: Use a clean thin muslin cloth to dry washed moong dal.

Mixer Grinder: I have used high speed mixer grinder for grinding dry moong dal.  

Mixing bowl: We can use any wide-open bowl for mixing the laddu ingredients.

Muslin cloth for drying washed moong dal

How to make moong dal laddu

How to make moong dal flour?

The first step is to make moong dal flour for preparing laddu.

Wash moong dal in water and drain the water completely as this helps in drying quickly.

Take a muslin cloth and spread drained dal on it until it’s completely dry.

Fry dried moong dal on low heat. Maintain low heat for uniform frying. Fry well until they are slightly golden in colour and not burnt.

Taste few lentils to feel them if its raw or undercooked.

Fried moong dal is cooled and finely powdered, sieve the flour to remove any small particles. Keep aside until we prepare other ingredients.

Frying other ingredients

Fry dry coconut on low heat until slightly roasted and keep aside.

Also fry cashewnuts pieces in ghee until golden. Keep this aside.

Mixing the ingredients

In a mixing bowl add powdered roasted moong dal powder, jaggery powder, roasted dry coconut powder and cardamom powder.

Make a fine powder of this mixture (this helps in mixing), pour this back into mixing bowl.

How to make laddu mixture?

Ghee roasted cashewnuts are added and mixed.

Add melted ghee a little at a time and gently mix everything.

To check if enough ghee is added, hold the mixture in palm and try making laddu. If the mixture doesn’t come together, add more ghee to the mixture and try making laddu.

Do not add the entire bowl of ghee mentioned in the ingredients, as this will not help in making the laddu. Always add ghee in small quantities to ensure the right taste and texture to laddu.

Making moong dal laddu

Start making the laddu by taking a fist full of mixture and press to make round balls. Complete all the laddu and store them until use.

Storage suggestions

Always store laddu in an airtight container and this stays good for 10 to 15 days.

These ladoos can be stored in the refrigerator for a month.

Other festive laddu sweet recipes on blog are

Aralu unde / puffed paddy laddu

Puri unde / Murmura laddu

Tips to make perfect moong dal laddu

For best ladoo preparation follow my detailed step by step instructions and tips given in recipe.

Always use fresh ingredients to make ladoo.

Use liquid ghee than semi solid ghee, as this helps in equal distribution of ghee in the ladoo mixture

Make sure to roast dal on medium low flame very well. If the dal is not roasted well, ladoos don’t get the nutty aroma.

We can adjust the jaggery powder by tasting the mixture, add more or less as per preference.

Recipe Variations

1. Jaggery can be replaced with sugar powder or brown sugar.
2. Cardamom can be replaced with nutmeg powder.
3. We can also make a quick stuffing inside the laddu with assorted nuts, khoya or milk solids.
4. Desiccated coconut can be added to in equal proportions to the dal flour. However the taste varies from this original recipe.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can we prepare laddu mixture in advance?

Moong dal Ladoo mix can be prepared in advance without adding coconut gratings and ghee. This can be stored for 15 days. We can use it whenever required to make ladoo using ghee and coconut gratings.

Can we use sugar instead of jaggery?

Yes, we can use sugar powder instead of jaggery and colour of laddu becomes light when sugar is used.

Can we use butter instead of ghee?

No, we cannot use butter, most of Indian sweet are prepared using ghee.

Can we use nutmeg instead of cardamom powder?

Yes we can use nutmeg in small quantities for flavors instead of cardamom.

Can we omit ghee in the recipe?

We need a binding agent to bring together moong dal powder.

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