Oats and Raisin Laddu made with Jaggery #NoSugar

Today’s recipe is specially made for the Livogen Iron Chef Contest. I am submitting this recipe via Indiblogger. You too can submit your favorite Iron rich recipe here.

*Note: Nutrition chart is included at the end of the recipe!

Before I get into the recipe, I have a question for you all…

Did you know that according to the Global Nutrition Report-2016, India stands way too low on the list of nations dealing iron deficiency (anemia)? It is 170th among 180 countries ranked for anemia among women, 114th among 132 for chronic malnutrition in children under five and 120th among 130 for acute malnutrition in children under five!
When I first came to know about it, I was quite shocked! The fact that there was only a 12 percent fall in the statistics in the past 10 years is indeed alarming! Despite of the measures taken by the government there is not much improvement clearly! Also, the situation is not only prevalent among people below the poverty line but everyone in general.

My sibling also suffered with “Iron deficiency“ few years back. It was during her 12th board exams and we all were much tensed about her health and future as well! I must say even though the medicines helped, it was because of Amma that she recovered rapidly. My mom left no stone unturned and did all she could to help my sister recover. It was in that process my mom and dad researched and made a list of foods which are rich in iron and my mom made sure those foods were part of D’s diet!

The recipe I am going to share is one such creation of my mom. I do not have a sweet-tooth so my liking for sugar is ‘Nill’. I even do not prefer adding sugar to milk/coffee. A lot of sugar in my food makes me feel nauseated! The absence of sugar in this recipe is the reason why I love this delicacy a lot. This healthy recipe is made by using only 4 ingredients; Oats, Jaggery, Raisins and Desi Ghee (clarified butter).

It is a known fact that Oats, Raisins and Jaggery are great sources of Iron!

So without any further delay, let me share this healthy recipe with you, which is very quick and easy to make!

OATS AND RAISIN LADDU MADE WITH JAGGERY

Ingredients:

• Oats – 2 cups
• Jaggery (finely chopped or grated) – 1 cup
• Raisins – 1/4^th cup
• Ghee (Clarified Butter) – 6 teaspoons

Recipe yields 14 Laddu’s  |  Preparation time: 5 minutes  |  Cooking time: 20 minutes

Method:

• Heat a pan and dry roast 2 cups of oats in it. Keep it on medium high flame and roast the oats for 5 minutes. DO stir continuously for 5 minutes or until the color changes a bit (Usually should not take more than 5 minutes) and do not leave it unattended, even for a second.

Oats when just added to pan.

After dry roasting oats.

• Once the oats are roasted turn off the flame and immediately transfer roasted oats into a jar and grind them until it turns into a soft and smooth powder.

Transferred into a Jar

After grinding them into a fine and smooth powder.

• The process of mixing all the ingredients and shaping laddu’s should be done when the oat powder is still warm. So, keep the powdered oats aside and quickly heat up the pan. From the 6 teaspoons of ghee (clarified butter) as mentioned under ingredients, add 2 teaspoons into the pan and fry the raisins once the ghee is hot.
• Raisins tend to burn quickly so keep in mind that you do not fry them for more than a few seconds. Once they bubble up, turn off the flame and transfer raisins into a bowl. Leave the leftover ghee in the pan itself as we will be using it in the next step of the recipe anyway.

• While the pan is still hot, add the powdered oats, grated jaggery and remaining 4 teaspoons of ghee into the pan and mix them well. There should be no lumps and the jaggery should be incorporated well into the mixture.

• I usually prefer mixing with hands as the mixture is hot enough to handle. If you find it impossible to mix it by hand, as an alternate you could transfer the mixture into a jar and blend it for a few seconds and transfer it into a bowl or flat plate. Then add fried raisins into it and give it a quick mix.
• Start shaping Laddu’s when the mixture is still warm. If not it would be difficult to give them a shape or mold them and they tend to break.

• This recipe yields 14-15 laddu’s depending on the size make. I could make 14 laddu’s out of this recipe. Once they are completely cooled, store them in a dry air tight container. Shelf life is for two weeks at room temperature and if you refrigerate, then more than that.

Nutrition Chart:

Try replacing the junk food like chips, etc., you have as a snack with one or two “Oats and Raisin Laddu’s” made with Jaggery. You can also have it with your breakfast!

It would be a great way to include iron rich foods like Oats, Raisins and Jaggery in your diet without compromising on TASTE.

I hope you loved the recipe! If so, then do share this recipe. Also, give it a try and let me know your thoughts by dropping a comment below.

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