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Tambittu
Roasted rice flour jaggery laddus
ತಂಬಿಟ್ಟು: roasted rice-flour and jaggery laddus offered on Nagara Panchami
Nagara Panchami in Karnataka is a festival of sisters and brothers as much as of snakes: women offer milk to the stone naga images under peepal trees, and the sweets made at home are tambittu, laddus of roasted rice flour, roasted gram, coconut and sesame bound with jaggery syrup and ghee. They are crumbly-soft and earthy, and a few are also offered at Varamahalakshmi. Common mistake: binding with thin syrup, which leaves the laddus wet and collapsing; boil the jaggery only to a soft-ball stage, when a drop in cold water forms a soft ball you can pick up. Chef's tip: roast the rice flour until it just smells toasty and is barely cream-coloured; too dark and the laddus taste bitter.
- Total time
- 35 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 12
Ingredients
For the laddus
- 5 ½ oz rice flour
- 1 ¾ oz roasted gram (hurigadale)ground to a powder
- 2 tbsp white sesame seeds
- 1 ⅜ oz dry coconutgrated
- 1 ⅜ oz roasted peanutscoarsely crushed
- 6 ½ oz jaggerygrated
- ¼ cup water
- ½ tsp ground green cardamom
- 3 tbsp ghee
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Dry-roast 5 ½ oz rice flour in a heavy pan on a low heat for 6–8 minutes, stirring, until it smells toasty and turns barely cream-coloured. Tip into a bowl with 1 ¾ oz roasted gram (hurigadale).
8 minStep 2: Toast 2 tbsp white sesame seeds and 1 ⅜ oz dry coconut together for 2 minutes until the sesame pops. Add to the bowl with 1 ⅜ oz roasted peanuts and ½ tsp ground green cardamom.
3 minStep 3: Melt 6 ½ oz jaggery with ¼ cup water, strain, then boil for 5–6 minutes until a drop in cold water forms a soft ball.
8 minStep 4: Pour the syrup and 3 tbsp ghee into the flour mix and stir quickly with a spoon until evenly moist.
2 minStep 5: While still warm, shape into 12 firm laddus with greased palms. Cool and store airtight for 10 days.
10 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 190 kcal
- Protein
- 4 g
- Carbs
- 28 g
- Fat
- 8 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does tambittu take?
- About 35 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 25 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 12 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of white sesame seeds?
- Poppy seeds or finely chopped pumpkin seeds, same amount.
- What can I use instead of jaggery?
- Dark brown or muscovado sugar, same amount.
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