Palm jaggery and sesame laddus
This week we look at two items on the traditional Bengali menu which have held themselves despite growing health concerns and our ever changing eating habits. We take a look at jaggery and pure ghee! A deadly combo, with a burst of decadent flavours, which is surprisingly safer to eat than common sugar and oil products.
Ingredients
½ kg palm jaggery
250g white sesame seeds
1 tbsp pure ghee
100g cashew nuts powder
Method
Roast the sesame in a frying pan for up to 30 seconds. Break the jaggery up into a malleable powder and add the powdered cashew nut, the ghee and the sesame seeds and mix them well. Roll them up into small balls. You may add some extra ghee if you feel the laddu is looking to dry or the laddus keep flaking off.
Serving --
Place a chopped almond or a raisin on top before serving.
Health spotlight:
Our surprise ingredient this week happens to be one of the most ancient forms of grease which is still consumed in large amounts all over the Indian subcontinent and our parents still swear by its magical properties. Yet, one look at the Punjabis in India and you begin to see a flicker of sense in what our parents have been trying to make us realise.
Pure ghee indeed is by many means a better substitute to vegetable oils and definitely synthetic ghees. It reduces cholesterol both in the serum and intestine by triggering an increased secretion of biliary lipids that break down the fats.
Ghee is mostly known for its properties that stimulate the secretion of stomach acids to help with digestion, while other fats, such as butter and oils, slow down the digestive process and remain longer in the system making us less hungry for longer periods. Ghee also helps control eye pressure and is beneficial to glaucoma patients.
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