How apt that I should start this year with a dessert recipe, that too, something straight off Mom's kitchen. With absolutely no updates/modifications/replacements to her recipe! :) This recipe was born out of one of the zillion techniques adopted by yesteryears' housewives to use every part of a commodity in their kitchen.
As I mentioned before, ever since I started getting full cream milk at home, cream-butter management has become an activity in itself. Once we collect enough cream, I churn out butter from it. So far, I've been giving away the butter to friends and family, but this one time, I wanted to do what Mom does... make ghee out of butter. A first for me, I guess this might be because of that little girl in me who wants to be like Mommy :-)
When you make ghee from butter, there is a brown colored residue left at the bottom of the pan. This is called Gasi, in Telugu & Kannada. (If you know what this is called in English and Hindi, please let me know!) Now, this is milk solid that is separate when the fat floats above, and is quite tasty as it is. When ghee is collected from the pan, this residue is left in the pan, and is more often than not wasted. Instead, with very little effort you can turn this into an awesome laddu.
If you do not make your ghee at home, don't worry. You can still get Gasi when you prepare ghee from Amul butter, albeit the quantity is much lesser.
The quantities used in this recipes are indicative and can be increased or decreased based on your palate and your family's preferences. Also, the gasi can or need not have any left over ghee in to make these laddus, it doesnt matter really.
Gasi Laddu
Level - Very Easy
Preparation - 15 min to assemble and 10 min to make the Laddus
Ingredients [Makes a dozen of ‘em]
Gasi - 3/4 C
Wheat flour - 1 C
Sugar - 1 C, finely powdered
Cashew nuts - 1/4 C, chopped
Ghee - 1 Tsp
Instructions
In a thick bottomed pan, roast the wheat flour till it gives out a fragrant roasted aroma, and begins to turn beige-brown. Keep aside on a plate.
In the same pan, heat the ghee and roast the cashew nut pieces till they are golden brown.
Now add the gasi to this and mix well. The ghee left in gasi, if any, will melt. Be careful to not let this burn, it needs to be on heat for not more than 4-5 min.
Mix the cardamom seed powder and remove from heat.
Add the roasted wheat flour to this, and mix well. Add the powdered sugar and mix well.
At this point, this entire laddu mixture will be quite hot. Let this stay for 5-10 min, and start making the laddus only when you feel you can take the heat. Be careful to not let this get too cold , in which case the laddus wouldn’t hold together.
Take a large spoonful of this mixture and press it into a one-rupee-coin sized ball. Keep aside once this becomes a strong ball.
Repeat this till the entire mixture is transformed into a bowl full of delicious laddus.
This will stay fresh at room temperature for at least a week, or for a month if refrigerated.
I absolutely love love the brown residue that settles at the very bottom of the ghee pot. My ammamma used to diligently make it out of venna,every fortnight for 4 families!. Have some hot rice and salt sprinkled with it. Man, I just had dinner and my mouth is already salivating at the very mention of it. I never knew we can make laddoos of that "Gasi". Good one. :-)
ReplyDeleteSiri
Wow, so gasi can be eaten with rice also, is it? Must do that, one of these days. :)
DeleteI'll get these next time we meet :)
After the ghee is taken into another container, add some jaggery and cardamom powder to the residue and once it forms a string like consistency, pour it on a plate (spread little bit of ghee on the plate). Once it becomes cold, cut it into small squares like mysorepak. It tastes very good.
ReplyDeleteThis recipe sounds cool... thanks Anon (wish I knew your name :) ).
DeleteWill try this next time I make ghee...
how do u store the collected cream top without getting spoilt. coz u need quite a quantity of cream to make butter out of it no.. really clueless, so the query.
ReplyDeletestore the cream in your freezer compartment for any no of days when u wnt to make ghee thaw it and go ahead when it is room temperature
ReplyDeleteLav, I am just seeing your query, sorry about that. But Anon here posted the answer to ur query! That's what I do too...
ReplyDelete