Senagapappu Laddu ~ Chana Dal Laddu

Chana dal laddu is an easy sweet prepared with chana dal flour, sugar and ghee.

Course Dessert, Indian Sweet

Cuisine Indian, South Indian

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 10

Cooling Time 20

Total Time 40

Servings pieces

Calories

Wash chana dal and immediately pat dry with a kitchen towel. If time permits, dry on the kitchen towel for 10-15 minutes. DO NOT soak the dal. This step is optional.
Roast chana dal on medium flame until aromatic and golden brown. Do not burn the dal.
Spread on a plate and let cool.
Grind sugar and cardamom seeds to a fine powder and keep aside.
Grind roasted dal to a fine powder.
Mix together both the powders and taste the mixture for sweetness. Add more powdered sugar depending on how sweet you want the laddu.
Add ghee, mix well and shape the mixture into small balls. If the laddu doesn’t hold shape, add more ghee.
To make the binding easier, I added powdered sugar to chana dal powder, pulsed it once in the mixer, added ghee and pulsed it for few more seconds. Transfer to a bowl, mix everything well and then shape the laddus.
Yields dozen laddu, depending on the size.

Substitute - Black chana is a good substitute for chana dal. I did not use it but heard it is a good substitute. Or use besan ~ gram flour instead. Follow this recipe for besan laddu.
Sugar - I used ¾ cup powdered sugar but can easily use ¾ cup sugar, powdered. ¾ cup sugar = ¾ cup + 2 tablespoon (almost 2 tbsp) powdered sugar.