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What is Banka or Gond ?
Banka or Gond is an edible gum collected from hardened sap sourced from wild-growing acacia plants. Banka is a Telugu(more in Telangana) term for glue or gum substances, hence the name.
Edible gum has a lot of medicinal value. It not only cures heat-stroke yet it even combats constipation, improves the health of skin and hair along with increasing our overall immunity. My grandmother used to say that winter is the perfect time when your body has the maximum capacity in absorbing calcium. And this edible gum helps in soothing inflammation, lubricates joints, and reduces joint stiffness caused by arthritis. Besides protecting against cold, gond is used to heal wounds. It is also known to treat cardiovascular ailments and chronic kidney diseases.
More about Banka laddu
Banka laddu or Dinkache ladoo or Gond Ke laddu, as the name suggests are prepared with Gond or Edible Gum. It is a popular sweet, that is made in Many regions across India during winters.
The recipe I’m sharing here is an heirloom recipe that has been passed down from many generations. And our version of Edible gum laddu calls Dry Fruits, Nuts, Seeds, and lots of ghee. This laddu is usually looked at and served as a medicinal food rather than a delicacy. Hence it is mostly served with a glass of warm milk first thing in the morning.
These nourishing energy balls are considered very healthy to consume in Winters due to their rich ingredients which are warm and keeps our body protected from the chilly winters. Also, these are made for postpartum mothers or lactating mothers, which helps to keep the body warm and helps in lactation. These Banka laddus are great nutritious snacks for kids and toddlers, as they are rich in iron, calcium, and protein.
Ingredients needed for Banka laddu
- Banka / Gond – Edible gum sourced from the Acacia plant. It is quite odorless and tasteless.
- Nuts – Nuts are the essential part of these laddus and I have used Cashews, marking nut, Pistachios, and walnuts here.
- Dried fruits – Traditionally we use khajoor powder(dried dates powder), as I could not find the dried dates here, I used Medjool dates instead.
- Ghee – Ghee acts as the binding agent here, so do not skip on the ghee. It adds richness, flavor, and essential nutrition to the ladoo.
- Seeds – I have used Almonds and Melon seeds here. You can also add poppy seeds for extra nuttiness and richness.
- Dry Coconut – We add a little amount of dried coconut here, which adds a lovely coconut flavor and nutrition.
- Spices – We are going to add Ginger powder(sonti podi/ saunth), pepper powder, and Nutmeg. They provide flavor and helps in providing warmth to our bodies.
- Sugar / Jaggery
How to make these Banka laddus?
With diverse cultures and cuisines across India, the foods have regional influence and hence it varies with each region. You can see many Gond ke laddu recipes on the internet, where some add whole wheat flour, and some just use dried fruits and nuts. Unlike many recipes of Gond ke laddu you find on the internet, we don’t roast or puff of gond crystals. Instead, we just grind them as is, and we do not roast any ingredient too, just powder up everything and add piping hot ghee to shape the laddus.
Check out more delicious desserts and Indian sweets from my blog.
Palm jaggery whole wheat biscuits
BANKA LADDU
Equipment
- Blender
- Saucepan
Ingredients
- ¾ cup Banka or Edible Gum
- 1 cup Cashews
- ½ cup Almonds
- ½ cup Khajoor or Dried dates or use medjool dates
- ¼ cup Dried coconut
- ¼ cup Pistachios
- ¼ cup Walnuts optional
- ¼ cup Jeedi palukulu or Marking nuts optional
- ¼ cup Melon seeds optional
- 1 cup Jaggery powder Or use powdered sugar
- 1 cup Ghee
Spices
- 1 tsp Pepper powder
- 1 tbsp Sonti podi or ginger powder
- 2 pinches Nutmeg powder
Instructions
Preparing laddu base
- Grind the cashews, almonds, pistachios, walnuts to a fine powder and add it a large mixing bowl.
- Now grind the dried dates to a fine powder and add it to the mixing bowl.Notes : If using medjool dates, just chop them up, grind to a smooth paste and fry the date paste in ghee for 4-5 mins until it loses its raw smell and turns into a lump.
- Now grind the dried coconut, marking nuts, melon seeds separately and add it to the mixing bowl.
- Now the crucial ingredient, Banka or Gond or edible gum Add it to the blending jar and grind to a fine powder. And transfer this powder to the mixing bowl.
- Time to add in pepper powder, sonti podi or ginger powder, ground nutmeg, jaggery powder to the mixing bowl with all ground nuts and seeds. Give everything a really good mix.
Heating the ghee
- Now heat a saucepan, add ghee and bring it to a smoking hot point. Turn off the heat.
Let's roll some BANKA LADDUS now!!
- Take 3 cups of laddu base ie., all the powders to a smaller mixing bowl, make a well in the center and add few tbsps of piping hot ghee.
- Start bringing the laddu mixture and ghee together, and try to bring everything together to a tight sticky dough consistency.
- When the laddu mixture is still hot and pliable, take a heaped size portion of it in a spoon or in your palms. Roll the mixture and Shape in a round laddu. Note : In case the laddu mixture is too hot intolerable, then do wait for some minutes. Avoid burning your hands. If the mixture does not hold shape, then add 1 to 2 tablespoons of hot ghee.
- Place the rolled laddus onto a wide plate, and repeat the process for the remaining laddu mixture.
- Leave the rolled laddus to dry overnight or 4-5 hours at room temperature.
Storage instructions
- Transfer the dried banka laddus to a clean and dry Airtight container. These laddus stay good upto 6 weeks.
Serving suggestions
- Serve laddu with a warm glass of milk or just as is.
Notes
- If you cannot find dried dates, use medjool dates instead, just chop them up, grind to a smooth paste and fry the date paste in ghee for 4-5 mins until it loses its raw smell and turns into a lump.
If you’ve tried this recipe, please share your valuable feedback in the comments below. Also you can Tag your photo and share it with #mycurryveda on Instagram @mycurryveda or on Facebook . Also follow @taste.of.telangana on Instagram for more traditional recipes, culture and stories.
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