Ram Ladoo, made with Moong Dal and served with grated radish and chutneys is Delhi’s famous chaat and the trick lies in making soft yet crispy Ladoos or Pakoras.
Now, making these Ram Ladoo is neither rocket science nor has a great recipe but yes making soft and fluffy Ram Ladoo is an art.
And this Ram Ladoo recipe with detailed instructions and tips will definitely help you in creating the magic of this street food in your home kitchen.
Ram Ladoo, paired with Kalmi Vada and Palak Patta Chat together forms a great menu for a Chaat Party.
Delhi’s Famous Ram Ladoo
Ram Ladoo, a popular street food, commonly found in the streets of Delhi. And I, being a Delhiite, and not talk of Ram Ladoo…How is it possible? This very popular, lip-smacking street food of Delhi is loved by all and my family is no exception. We all love Ram Ladoo. Normally all the markets in Delhi, be it Lajpat Nagar or Karol Bagh or Chandni Chowk or any other, have not one or two but many Ram Ladoo vendors. And therefore our shopping is incomplete without having these Ram Ladoos.
Some other Popular Chaat recipes of Delhi that you may find interesting are:
What Is Ram Ladoo? A Sweet?
Hey, just a minute… Don’t go by the name… it’s not sweet. On the contrary, it is spicy and tangy. Really don’t know why the name Ladoo was given to it. Maybe because it is round like ladoos.
Anyway, as they say, what is there in a name. So, just feel the taste of it and get ready to make it.
It is a perfect starter for parties, a very good snack to have with evening tea.
The best thing is that you can make these in advance and heat them up in OTG/microwave/air fryer/hot griddle at the time of serving.
This is what most of the vendors do. They keep stock of fried ladoos and then either heat them on a griddle or refry them.
But what exactly is Ram Ladoo?
Ram Ladoos are nothing but lentil dumplings fried and served with coriander dip and grated radish. Pakoras are normally served with coriander dip. Nothing special in this. But what makes this special is grated/shredded radish and a dash of sweet tamarind chutney. But this combination leaves everyone licking their fingers.
Lentils Used For Making Ram Ladoos
Some people make it with only yellow moong dal whereas some add Chana Dal (Bengal gram) to it. I even keep asking the vendors also as to which lentils they use and I get mixed responses.
But looking at the texture and also the taste, I feel that both the lentils are used. I use both the lentils, moong dal (Yellow Split Dal) and Chana Dal (Bengal gram) in the ratio of 2:1. That is, take Chana dal just half of yellow moong dal. Also, Chana Dal gives little crunchiness to the otherwise soft yellow moong dal.
For Ram Ladoos, you really need to make very soft pakoras. But how to make soft n light n fluffy pakoras? No, I do not add baking soda in it for softness.
Tips For Making Soft And Fluffy Ram Ladoo
- Properly soaked lentils.
- Properly whipped batter.
- Batter consistency.
- Oil temperature.
Let us discuss these points in detail.
1. Soaking Tips
- The key to making soft pakoras lies in soaking and whipping. I have observed that unless the lentils are properly soaked, whipping does not help.
- Soaking makes the lentils soft. And then beating it or whipping it.
- Soak these for a minimum of 4 hours and then grind them. I soak the two lentils separately, also Chana Dal (Bengal gram) for a little longer time.
- Similarly, I first put Bengal gram in the grinder. Grind it for a minute or two and then along with it add yellow moong dal and then grind both the lentils together into a fine paste.
Check for Lentils being Properly Soaked
- Lentils become almost double in size.
- They become soft and can be broken easily between fingers.
2. Batter consistency
Do not keep the batter too thick. This is because very thick batter produces somewhat hard and dense dumplings. Similarly, if the batter is thin then the pakoras would absorb lot of oil. So, keep a medium consistency.
3. Whipping Tips
Then comes the whipping part. It takes a lot of labor in whipping with hands and hence I prefer electric beater. You can use either method but ensure that it is very well-whipped.
Check For Batter being Sufficiently Whipped
- The batter becomes very light and fluffy.
- Colour of the batter changes from yellow to almost white.
- Put a small drop of batter in a bowl filled with water. If it floats, it means whipped enough. If disperses, then whip more.
4. Oil Temperature While Frying
Start frying pakoras when the oil is very hot but reduce flame at the time of dropping Pakodas in oil. Once done, increase the flame.
Once the pakoras are made then, the only assembly needs to be done.
Step By Step Recipe
- Soak both the lentils separately.
- Once soaked, drain the water and grind it to a fine paste. Add very little water, if necessary, otherwise avoid it.
- If possible, leave the batter for some time. In summers, in the refrigerator whereas in winters, you can leave it on the kitchen counter only. This leads to slight fermentation which results in soft and crunchy Pakodas.
- Beat the batter either with hands or an electric whisk till it changes color from yellow to whitish.
- Heat oil and fry Pakodas.
- Once fried, arrange the pakoras on a plate
- Put Shredded Radish over Pakoras
- Put Chaat Masala, Hari Chutney and Meethi Chutney
- Serve with Love…
FAQs
Q) Can I make ram Ladoo in advance?
No. But you can fry the pakoras, grate radish and make chutneys in advance, Then, at the time of serving, refry or reheat the pakoras and serve with chutneys.
Q) Do we serve Ram Ladoo with green chutney?
Yes. But this chutney is made with radish leaves instead of green coriander. You can even mix the coriander leaves and radish leaves to make chutney for this recipe.
Let’s Connect!
Hope you have liked this recipe of Ram Ladoo along with tips and will surely try it out for your loved ones.
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Ram Laddu
Ingredients
- 1/2 Cup Yellow Moong Dal
- 1/4 Cup Chana Dal
- 1 tbsp Coriander leaves (Finely Chopped)
- 1/2 Cup Coriander Chutney
- 1 Tbsp Tamarind/Amchoor Chutney
- 1/2 Cup Radish (Shredded)
- 1 tsp Chaat Masala
- Oil for frying
Instructions
Make Ladoo
- Soak yellow moong dal and chana dal separately for at least 4 hours.
- After 4 to 5 hours, drain off the water and grind both the lentils into a fine paste.
- Do not keep the batter too thick. Preferably have fallen ribbon-like consistency.
- If possible, keep the batter for half an hour in the refrigerator. In winters you can leave it outside the refrigerator also. This results in slight fermentation of the batter which in turn produces good pakoras.
- Whip the batter for 15 to 20 minutes manually or 7-8 minutes by an electric beater.
- Once whipped fully, the batter becomes light and fluffy. Also, check for it. Take a small bowl filled with water. Put little batter in it. If it floats then the batter is ready for frying. If settles down or disperse in water then whip for some more time. One more test is that colour of the batter changes from yellow to almost white when properly whipped.
- You may add little chopped coriander leaves in the batter.
- Once the batter is ready, keep the frying pan on flame and heat oil for frying.
- When the oil is sufficiently hot, reduce heat and put dollops of batter in it for frying. Put 6-7 dollops at a time depending on the size of the pan.
- Once dropped in the oil, increase the flame and fry these Pakoras till golden brown. While frying, keep tossing the Pakoras.
- Once fried, take them out. Similarly, fry other Pakoras.
- Now either use it immediately or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for a day or two.
Assembling Ram Ladoos
- Pakoras should be hot for making Ram Ladoos. If made in advance, then heat them up in microwave or OTG.
- Arrange the hot pakoras in a shallow plate.
- Put shredded radish on it.
- If required sprinkle chat masala on it.
- Now drizzle green chutney all over and a little bit of Meethi chutney.
- Serve immediately with love.
Notes
- If you are short of time then soak dals in lukewarm water.
- Lentils are soaked when get double in size and are easily breakable by fingers only.
- Oil should be sufficiently hot while frying pakoras, otherwise, they would absorb a lot of oil.
- Coriander chutney should not be too thick.
- Use thick grater for shredding radish.
- You may make pakoras and chutneys in advance but do the assembly at the time of serving only.
Stay Healthy…Stay Happy
This post was originally published on 7th June 2017 and is republished on 7th Aug 2020 with updated pics and content.
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