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Motichur Laddu Recipe (Motichoor Ladoo)
4.9 from 87 votes

Motichur Laddu Recipe (Motichoor Ladoo)

Motichur Laddu is a traditional Indian sweet made from tiny, delicate fried gram flour droplets (boondi) flavored with saffron and cardamom, which are then soaked in fragrant sugar syrup and shaped into soft, round balls. The boondi have a fine texture and are carefully cooked to retain some softness rather than crispness. The laddus have a sweet, floral aroma from saffron and a warm spice note from cardamom, resulting in a richly textured, fragrant dessert.

Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
15 mins
Total Time
30 mins
Servings: 10 Ladoo
Calories: 173 kcal
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Indian

Ingredients

For sugar syrup
  • 1 cup sugar
  • ½ cup water
  • saffron or crushed saffron (kesar, powder, generous pinch
For making boondi
  • 1 cup besan (gram flour)
  • saffron or crushed saffron (kesar, powder, generous pinch
  • ¾ cup water
  • 2 to 3 black cardamom seeds removed and the skins discarded
  • ½ tablespoon magaz (melon seeds)
  • cooking oil for deep frying
  • oil for applying on the palms while shaping the ladoo, or ghee, small amount

Instructions

Preparing sugar syrup
    Cup of Yum
  1. Dissolve sugar, saffron threads and water in a pan and keep it on the stove top.
  2. Cook the sugar solution till it reaches one thread consistency (check step 3 pic to see photo showing one thread consistency) and then switch off the flame. Keep the sugar solution aside.)
Making boondi
  1. Make a smooth flowing batter of the gram flour/besan, crushed saffron and water. The batter should neither be thick nor thin. It should be a flowing batter without any lumps. The amount of water to be added depends on the quality of the the gram flour. So you can add more or less than what is mentioned in the recipe.
  2. Heat oil for deep frying in a kadai or pan. The oil has to be moderately hot. Take a perforated ladle/spoon. With your hands position the ladle above the oil. You will need one more large ladle/jhara to remove the fried boondis.
  3. Take a large spoon of the besan batter and pour it on perforated ladle/spoon. Press with the other spoon so that the batter falls down from the perforations into the hot oil.
  4. Fry the boondi (gram flour balls) till they become golden. Don't over fry or make them crisp. When the oil stops sizzling, remove the boondis. About 45 seconds to 1 minute is enough to get the correct texture in the boondi.
  5. This step is important because if boondi becomes crisp then motichur laddu won't be soft and they won't be able to absorb the sugar syrup.
Making motichoor ladoo
  1. For collecting the fried boondi use a large slotted spoon/jhara. Drain the oil very well after removing the boondi and then add them directly to the sugar syrup. Also note that the sugar syrup should be hot.
  2. If the sugar syrup is not hot, then just heat it. In case, the sugar syrup crystallizes, then reheat again mixing 1 to 2 tablespoons water. No need to bother about the tailed or flat boondis as we will be pulsing them in the blender later.
  3. Make all the boondis like this and keep on adding them immediately to the sugar syrup. Stir and mix well. The boondis should get softened in the sugar syrup.
  4. In a blender or mixer add the boondi and the sugar syrup. Add 1 tablespoon of hot water and pulse the boondi mixture for a few times to get a smaller shape.
  5. Don't pulse too much otherwise you won't be able to shape the motichur laddu. The amount of water to be added depends on the texture of the boondis.
  6. If the boondis are a bit crisp, then add 1 or 2 tablespoons more of the hot water. The boondis absorb the hot water and remain soft and moist.
  7. Add the magaz/melon seeds and black cardamom seeds. Mix well.
  8. Apply some oil or ghee on your palms and shape the motichoor ladoo. The mixture would be warm when preparing the laddu. On cooling they become firm.
  9. You can garnish the motichoor ladoo with melon seeds/magaz or raisins. These motichur ladoo can also be refrigerated since they are not made from ghee. If you fry them in ghee then the ghee will solidify on refrigeration.

Notes

  • Use fresh gram flour within its shelf life to ensure proper batter consistency and flavor.
  • Keep the sugar syrup hot by placing its pan over warm water during shaping to maintain softness.
  • Avoid over-frying boondi; aim for tender droplets, not crisp ones, to absorb syrup properly.
  • Do not over-blend the boondi mixture to preserve texture and prevent becoming pasty.
  • Fry in medium-hot oil to balance cooking speed and oil absorption, preventing sogginess or excessive browning.
  • For a vegan option, use neutral oil instead of ghee when shaping the laddus.
  • The recipe can be adjusted easily to make small or large batches according to need.

Nutrition Information

Calories 173kcal (9%) Carbohydrates 27g (9%) Protein 3g (6%) Fat 6g (9%) Saturated Fat 1g (5%) Polyunsaturated Fat 1g (6%) Monounsaturated Fat 4g (20%) Cholesterol 3mg (1%) Sodium 10mg (0%) Potassium 112mg (2%) Fiber 1g (4%) Sugar 21g (42%) Vitamin A 5IU (0%) Vitamin B1 (Thiamine) 1mg Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin) 1mg Vitamin B3 (Niacin) 1mg Vitamin B6 1mg Vitamin C 1mg (1%) Vitamin E 2mg Vitamin K 1µg Calcium 10mg (1%) Vitamin B9 (Folate) 52µg Iron 1mg (6%) Magnesium 22mg (6%) Phosphorus 39mg Zinc 1mg

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 10 Ladoo

Amount Per Serving

Calories 173

% Daily Value*

Calories 173kcal 9%
Carbohydrates 27g 9%
Protein 3g 6%
Fat 6g 9%
Saturated Fat 1g 5%
Polyunsaturated Fat 1g 6%
Monounsaturated Fat 4g 20%
Cholesterol 3mg 1%
Sodium 10mg 0%
Potassium 112mg 2%
Fiber 1g 4%
Sugar 21g 42%
Vitamin A 5IU 0%
Vitamin B1 (Thiamine) 1mg
Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin) 1mg
Vitamin B3 (Niacin) 1mg
Vitamin B6 1mg
Vitamin C 1mg 1%
Vitamin E 2mg
Vitamin K 1µg
Calcium 10mg 1%
Vitamin B9 (Folate) 52µg
Iron 1mg 6%
Magnesium 22mg 6%
Phosphorus 39mg
Zinc 1mg

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

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