Til ke Ladoo

Begin by toasting the sesame on medium heat. Keep stirring while toasting to maintain even heat distribution. Once toasted transfer to another container to cool. Heat a pan and add the ghee in it. Next add in the jaggery and begin melting on low heat. Once the jaggery starts foaming, cook for about a minute. We need to cook the jaggery to a soft ball stage. To check this, keep a bowl of cold water along.

Drop a bit of the cooking jaggery into the water. On cooling the jaggery should have formed a soft ball that is not too sticky and holds a bit of its shape. On dropping to the working surface it should make a tiny thud sound so as to showing structure and density.

At the soft ball stage, mix in the toasted sesame into the pan. Turn of the flame and mix the sesame quickly into the jaggery. Once mixed well, add in the cardamom powder. Finally, begin cooling the mixture to the point is easy to handle. Do not over cool it, otherwise it will harden and set.

Dip your hand in a bowl of water. Using a spoon put a small portion of the mixture in your hand. Be careful as it still maybe hot. Gently shape the mixture into a ball using wet hands,

Keep a bowl of cold water around, to sprinkle on yourself incase a splatter of hot jaggery falls over you.

Do not overcook the jaggery as it will spoil the texture. Use the water test to determine the right temperature and texture.