My mum was a traditionalist, and would say, if you are going to make Churma Na Ladwaa, then don’t cut corners, and make the authentic way – I have no idea what she would think of my baking the dough, but honestly it still tastes the same to me, whichever way you make it, fried or baked the binding of the dough is the same. 

Growing up, we would usually have these at least twice a month, and if I count the days both grannies sent us the ladwaas- I would say we had them pretty much every week. 

The ladwaas were usually served at least twice a month as part of the traditional accompaniment to the Gujarati meal of Gujarati Tuver ni Daar, Raigan Bateta Nu Barelu Shaak, Sambharo, Rotli, boondi nu raitu, and bhaat. 

And no wedding feast or religious event was complete without the iconic moist Churma na Ladwaa. This is my Mum’s authentic ladwaa recipe (no dry fruits such as almonds or pistachios are added) .

 Also note her recipe calls for a “bowl”, if you are from East Africa or a Gujarati you know this means the“Daar ni bakudi” (the glass bowl passed on from mother to daughter to grand-daughter), this bowl holds exactly 1 1/4 cups of flour or sugar when I measure it. 

 Churma usually refers to a sweet dessert of coarsely ground wheat fritters that are grinded and mixed with ghee and sugar or jaggery, eaten loose with an addition of nuts and plump golden raisins, or shaped into balls or ladwaa. 

 This is a two-step dessert- step one where the wheat fritters “muthias” are deep fried till golden brown (or baked). In the second step the fried or baked dumplings are ground into a fine sand like texture, then mixed with Gur/Jaggery and melted ghee and flavored with aromatic ground cardamom, nutmeg, and mace powder and rolled generously with poppy seeds into moist, soft moreish ladwaas. 

Ingredients:

*bowl is equivalent to 1 1/4 cups(US)

• 2 bowls coarse wheat flour 
• 1 bowl Sooji 
• 1 bowl Gram flour 
• 3 tablespoons light flavorless oil (my mum’s recipe calls for ghee) 
• 1 bowl Ghee 
• 1 or little less bowl Gur/Jaggery chopped up into pieces 
• 1.5 tablespoons Elichi/Cardamom powder 
• 1/2 teaspoon Jaifer/Jaiphal/Nutmeg powder 
• 1/2 teaspoon Javentri/2 Mace blades -blitzed into powder 
• 2-3 tablespoons white Poppy seeds for garnish 
• Few saffron strands (optional) 
• 1/2 warm water to knead- may need more or less depending on how your flour absorbs water. 
  

Instructions:

1. In a bowl, mix whole wheat flour, sooji /fine semolina and gram flour. 
2. Add 3 tablespoons oil or ghee and warm water to bind a stiff dough. 
3. Divide the dough into 3 parts and roll out into a 6 inch roti/flatbread and using a frying pan gently roast the roti flipping it back and forth until it’s cooked on both sides, you can smear a little oil or ghee if you like, I did not. 
   

(*My mum’s recipe is traditional and is as follows:  Taking a small/fistful portion of the dough. Pressing hard between your fist to form a”muthia” shape or alternatively patting round discs- then frying the muthia in oil on low flame till it is completely cooked from inside and turn light pink to a golden shade). 

Whichever method you use, whether you deep fry or dry roast on a pan, once the muthia’s are cooked and cooled, break them into pieces and grind them in a food processor into fine powder, pulsing several times until it resembles a fine sand-like texture (as mum would say make a “bhuko”). 

Then taking a wire mesh sieve sift the mixture in batches to remove any large lumps, run any large bits through the processor again, and repeat with the sifting until you end up with finely sifted muthia powder- Don’t skip this step, it’s really important to ensure the mixture fine to form uniform smooth ladwaas! 

To make Churma Na Ladwaa: 

1. Transfer the churma mixture into a deep bowl or large plate, add cardamom, nutmeg and mace powders (and saffron) and mix well. 
2. Warm the ghee and add the gur to it, as soon as the gur starts melting and floats to the top, take it off the heat, and add it to the churma mixture. 
3. Mix everything with a wooden spoon or if warm enough with your hands. 
4. Sprinkle some poppy seeds inside a mould, press some churma mixture into the and press to compact it tightly, then invert onto a plate. 
5. Or you can roll out golf ball sized ladwaas and roll them into the poppy seeds, “slap” it onto a plate so that the base of base of the ball/ladwaa is flattened and the upper part still stays round, giving it that signature Charma na Ladwaa look. 
   
   
   

Notes: 

It’s essential to let the fried or baked muthia cool before grinding them; if you grind them whilst hot you will end up with a sticky wet clump of no good mixture. 

I have used desi/Indian organic jaggery which is dark in color and when grated or cut is moist and gives a dense hold to the ladwaas.

Replace ghee with good quality flavorless oil or vegan ghee to make vegan ladwaa.

If you don’t have a mould like mine- use a round medium ice cream scoop and pack the mixture in before tapping on the tray to loosen it. Don’t skimp on the ghee- it’s essential to the ladwaa’s giving it the moistness it needs.