Besan Ladoo for Diwali Faral: What Makes a Good One

In a Maharashtrian home, Diwali starts in the kitchen a week before the lamps are lit. The faral plate has its regulars: chakli, chivda, shankarpali, karanji, and at least one kind of ladoo. Of all of them, besan ladoo is the one almost every family makes, and the one guests reach for first.

It is also the one that is easiest to get slightly wrong.

Three ingredients, and nowhere to hide

Besan ladoo has very little in it: besan (gram flour), sugar and ghee, usually with a raisin pressed on top. With a list that short, every ingredient shows. The ghee matters most. It carries the aroma, and it is what makes the ladoo melt instead of sticking to the roof of your mouth.

The roasting decides everything

The besan has to be roasted slowly in ghee, on a low flame, with someone standing over it and stirring the whole time. Roast it too little and the ladoo tastes raw and floury. Rush it on a high flame and it turns bitter. Done properly, the besan changes colour gradually, the kitchen starts to smell nutty, and the mixture loosens as the ghee separates. It cannot be hurried, which is why a batch of good besan ladoo takes most of a morning.

What a good besan ladoo is like

A good one holds its round shape on the plate but gives way the moment you bite it. It should feel slightly grainy, never pasty. It should taste of roasted besan and ghee before it tastes of sugar. And it should not leave a film of raw flour behind.

How we make ours

Our besan ladoo are made in our family kitchen in Borivali East. The besan is roasted slowly in ghee, and the ladoo are rolled by hand, with a raisin on top. We make them fresh after you order, with no preservatives.

Ordering for Diwali

Because we make ladoo to order, it helps to order ahead for Diwali, especially if you need a larger quantity for gifting or for the family. You can place the order on the website and choose your delivery date. For a quantity above the online limit, message us on WhatsApp and we will plan it with you.

We deliver in Borivali, Dahisar, Kandivali and Mira Road. The delivery areas page shows the distance and delivery charge for your locality.