Atta Ladoo and Punjabi Pinni for Winter

When the first cold evenings arrive in North India, kitchens start roasting atta. Atta ladoo is simple, homely and satisfying: whole wheat flour roasted in ghee until it smells of biscuits, sweetened and shaped. Punjabi pinni is its richer, more elaborate relative, with gond, more nuts, sometimes khoya and a deeper roast. Both keep for weeks, which is why they are made in large batches for winter and for Diwali.

Atta ladoo

• 2 cups whole wheat flour (coarse atta is ideal)
• ¾ to 1 cup ghee
• 1 cup powdered jaggery or bura/powdered sugar
• ½ tsp cardamom powder
• ¼ cup chopped almonds and cashews
• 2 tbsp raisins (optional)

1. Melt the ghee. In a heavy kadai, melt ¾ cup ghee on low heat.
2. Roast the atta. Add the atta and stir continuously on low heat. After about 10 minutes it loosens and turns fragrant. Keep going for 20 to 25 minutes in all, until it turns an even golden brown, smells like freshly baked biscuits, and the mixture looks moist and slightly flowing. Add a little more ghee if it looks dry.
3. Add nuts. Add the chopped nuts for the last 2 minutes.
4. Cool until warm. Transfer to a plate and let it cool until it is warm but no longer hot. Adding jaggery or sugar to very hot atta melts it and makes the ladoos sticky.
5. Sweeten. Mix in powdered jaggery or sugar, cardamom and raisins.
6. Shape. Press portions firmly in your palm and roll into ladoos. If the mixture does not bind, add a spoon of warm melted ghee.

Punjabi pinni

Follow the atta ladoo method with these changes:

• Fry gond first. Heat 3 tbsp ghee and fry ¼ cup edible gum (gond) in small batches on medium-low heat until each piece puffs up and turns white and crunchy. Crush coarsely and set aside.
• Add khoya (optional). Roast ½ cup crumbled khoya separately in a teaspoon of ghee for 4 to 5 minutes until light golden.
• More nuts. Increase nuts to ½ cup, with almonds, cashews, pistachios and a spoon of melon seeds.
• Roast atta a shade darker than for atta ladoo.
• Combine roasted atta, gond, khoya, nuts, sugar and cardamom, and shape while warm. Pinni are often shaped slightly flattened or oval.

Why the slow roast matters

Raw wheat flour tastes pasty and slightly bitter. Roasted slowly in ghee, its starches toast and it develops a deep, nutty, biscuit-like flavour. On high heat, the outside of the flour browns while the inside stays raw, and the ladoos taste both burnt and uncooked. Low heat and constant stirring are the whole method.

Jaggery or sugar?

Jaggery gives a deeper, caramel sweetness and a darker ladoo; use powdered jaggery and make sure it has no lumps. Bura or powdered sugar gives a lighter colour and melt-in-the-mouth texture.

How much ghee

Roughly half as much ghee as atta by volume is typical. More ghee makes a softer, richer ladoo; less makes a firmer, drier one that crumbles. The roasted mixture should look glossy and hold together when pressed.

Storage

Kept in an airtight tin at room temperature, atta ladoos and pinni stay good for three to four weeks in cool weather. Pinni with khoya keep for a shorter time; refrigerate if your home is warm.

For a winter tin of pinni, we roast with A2 Gir Cow Ghee. The ghee is most of the flavour.