Ram Ladoo

                   

Ram Ladoo, is a famous street food of Delhi and very popular snack from the North Indian Cuisine. The name ladoo is misleading here, as this snack is basically a savory lentil fritter that is served as a chat and has nothing to do with the dessert ladoo. Protein rich, crisp moong dal fritters are served with spicy green chutney and the sweet-tangy Tamarind Chutney topped with grated radish and beetroot with a squeeze of lemon making it a lip smacking chat. Ram Ladoo is best enjoyed during winter and monsoon evenings along with a cup of masala chai. The recipe is gluten-free, vegan and onion-garlic free.                                                           

                  

Street Food  

Street food consists of ready-to-eat foods or drinks sold by a hawker or a vendor i na street or other public place like fair or market. It is often sold from a portable food both or food cart and is meant for immediate consumption. Street foods are not very hygienic and nutritious but people love to eat street food as it is delicious and lip smacking , is readily available and easy on the pocket ( cheaper than the restaurant food). Moreover, the food is cooked in front of you and you get a variety of food at one place. It is the cheapest way one can get to know about the food culture of a place while travelling.  Street food provides a low-cost food for the Urban population of poor, unemployed people and low-wage workers and it provides a means of generating income to the poor people without a large investment

                

Street foods of India :

When it comes to food, every state in India has its own culinary delight that is very much part of its culture. In spite of this fact, there are certain delicacies that are popular throughout the country. Following are some of the Indian street food from this blog.

• Kutchi Dabeli - A famous street food from Kutch region of Gujarat. A spicy snack made by mixing boiled potatoes with dabeli masala and putting the mixture between the pav and served with flavorful chutneys, roasted peanuts and pomegranate arils.

• Dahi Papdi Chat: A lip-smacking street food from North India which is a perfect blend of sweet, tangy , spicy flavors with a creamy crunchy texture.

• Missal Paav : A spicy breakfast snack from Maharashtrian Cuisne and a famous Mumbai street food. The dish consist of a spicy curry called missal made from sprouted moth beans paired with paav.

• Vegetable Manchow Soup : This lip smacking soup prepared in Indo-chinese style has origins in Indian state of Meghala but is popular all over India and one can find this soup in both vegetarian and non-vegetarian versions in Indo chinese restaurants and street carts across India.

• Jhal Muri : Jhal muri is a spicy puffed rice snack from Bengali Cuisine. A distinctive feature of Jhal Muri is the use of raw mustard oil which gives a pungent flavor and taste.

• Khaman Dhokla - A soft spongy steamed cake from the Gujarati Cuisine is a popular street food across the Indian state of Gujarat.

• Rajma Chawal - a delicious combo of rajma masala (kidney bean curry) with steamed rice serves as a soulful meal and one can get it on street carts at every nook and corner of North India, especially Delhi and cities of Punjab.

• Amritsari Aloo Kulcha: Aloo kulcha is a potato stuffed flatbread from the Punjabi Cuisine and a popular street food throughout North India.
  
  
• Litti Chokha : A signature dish of Indian state of Bihar, is also popular in Jharkhand and Eastern Uttar Pradesh. Litti is a baked dish made from whole wheat flour that is stuffed with pitthi (a mixture of Sattu)
  
  
• Bedmi Poori : bedmi poori is a traditional breakfast dish from Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Typically served with Aloo Rasedar ( a thin potato curry), this delicious and filling combo is known as bedmi aloo and is a popular street food Delhi, Agra, Mathura and Banaras.

• Vegetarian Thukpa : Thukpa is a hearty noodle soup from the Indian state of Arunachal  Pradesh. It is made with noodles, vegetables and a protein source ( usually meat). It is a popular street food in North-East states of Asaam, Sikkim, and in the Ladakh region of Himachal Pradesh.

• Momos : A steamed dumpling with vegetable or minced meat is one of the popular delicacy and street food of North Indian state of Sikkim , Arunachal Pradesh and Assam.

Related Event: Street Foods of India @Foodie Monday Bloghop

You must be wondering why my whole post is revolving around the word, Street foods? Actually the theme for the 283rd week on Foodie Monday Blog Hop is Street Foods of India. Foodie Monday Blog Hop is a gourmet Facebook group, where in a bunch of passionate food bloggers share their culinary delights every Monday depending upon a pre-determined theme. Priya Iyer was our hostess for the week and among the two themes she suggested, Street foods won with maximum votes. Priya suggested that we can share any street food either from our home state or any other state, but the dish has to be an Indian Street food and not from the International cuisine. I chose to cook this humble yet delectable, street food from North India, Ram ladoo as the weather here is pretty cold and one craves for fried snacks. Not very healthy as it is deep fried but we do not mind indulging in such treats once in a while. meanwhile do check out Priya's space for some delicious recipes from around the globe. I have bookmarked many dioshes from her blog from the Gujarati Cuisine . Her Fafda Chutney is next on my to-do list.

                                  

What goes into Ram Ladoo ? The Ingredients:

Ram ladoo is a very delicious yet simple dish to put together. If you have the sweet and tangy tamarind chutney and the spicy green chutney ready at hand, half of your job is done. You just have to soak the lentils for a couple of hours and make a coarse batter by grinding the soaked lentils with green chili, ginger and cumin. Fritters are made using the lentil batter and served with the flavorful chutneys topped with lemon juice, chat masala and radish. I have also used grated carrots and beetroot apart from radish to make the dish more healthy and appealing. Let's have a look at the ingredients one by one.

• Moong Dal / split and skinned Green gram : Moong dal is the key ingredient of this recipe.  Moong dal is soaked for few hours before making fritter batter. Moong dal is protein rich and lends a lovely soft texture to the fritters.

• Chana Dal / Bengal Gram: Some recipes call for use of only green gram. Addition of Bengal gram makes the fritters crisp.

• Green chilies: No chili powder is used in this recipe . Green chilies add a lovely spicy kick to the fritters.

• Ginger: This is an onion-garlic free recipe. So do not skip ginger.

• Cumin seeds: Cumin seeds add a wonderful flavor to the fritters.

• Salt to taste.

• Oil for deep frying : This is a deep fried recipe. However you may make the fritters in an appe / paniyaram pan for a healthier low-calorie version. Use any neutral cooking oil for frying the fritters.

                          

Dietary Notes:

• Vegetarian Snack
• Gluten-free
• Vegan ( Egg and Dairy free)
• Kid friendly
• Jain Recipe / Onion Garlic free (satvik)
• Delicious Chat

Preparation Time: 3 hours

Cooking Time: 15 minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredients: Measurements used 1 cup = 240 ml

• 1 cup split and skinned green gram (Moong Dal)
• 1/4 cup Bengal gram ( Chana Dal)
• 1 inch ginger piece
• 2 green chilies
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
• Salt to taste
• Oil for frying

To Serve: 

• Dates and tamarind Chutney / Khajur Imli Ki Chutney
  
• Spicy Coriander Chutney
  
• Daikon Radish , peeled and grated
• Beetroot, peeled and grated
• Carrot, Peeled and grated
• Lemon juice
• Chat masala

Method:

1. Rinse both the lentils (Green gram and Bengal Gram) and soak in enough water for 3 hours. Drain and transfer the soaked dal to a grinder jar with peeled and chopped ginger, green chilies and cumin seeds. Pulse to get a coarse paste adding very little water if required.

2. Add salt and whisk the batter very well until light and fluffy. This step is very important in making light yet crisp fritters . Do not skip this step or else you will end up getting dense and hard fritters which will spoil the whole dish. The whisking step will take around 5-7 minutes.

                              

3. Heat enough oil in a frying wok on medium heat. Once the oil is hot, lower the flame and drop the whisked lentil batter into it making small bite size round balls. Fry them on low to medium flame until crisp and golden brown from both sides. Remove the fritters with a slotted spoon on to an absorbent sheet. fry all the fritters similarly.

4. To assemble Ram Ladoo, take serving plates and place 4-5 fritters in each of them. Add both the spicy green chutney and the sweet and tangy tamarind dates chutney over the fritters as per your taste and liking. Squeeze lemon juice and a dash of chaat masala over it and lastly top the Ram Ladoo with grated daikon radish , beetroot and carrot. 

5. Serve the Lip-Smacking Ram Ladoo immediately !

Recipe Notes:

• Ram ladoo can be made using only moong dal (split and skinned green gram). Addition of chana dal (Bengal gram) makes the fritters crisp.
• Adjust the number of green chilies used as per your spice tolerance.
• The fritters can be made in an appe (paniyaram) pan instead of deep frying for a healthier version.
• I would suggest making the chutney a day prior to making the dish for the ease of serving and tio save time.
• Click    for the recipe of Green chutney.
• Click here for the recipe of Dates and Tamarind chutney.
• Top the fritters with chutneys, lemon juice and radish just before serving or else the dish will become soggy.

Would love to hear from you !

I hope you would love trying out this utterly delicious Ram Ladoo recipe. If you do so, feel free to share your feedback with use in the form of likes and comments in the section below this post.

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See you soon with yet another healthy and delicious creation from my Kitchen. Until then Stay safe and eat right !

Happy Cooking !

Happy Eating !

Regards 

Poonam Bachhav 

For more Street foods of India, check out the following recipes from this blog

• Kutchi Dabeli
  

• Dahi Papdi Chaat
  

• Missal Paav 
  

• Manchow Soup

• Jhal Muri - Spicy Puffed Rice Snack

• Rajma Chawal

• Khaman Dhokla

• Amritsari Aloo Kulcha

• Litti Chokha

• Bedmi Puri

• Vegetarian Thukpa

• Momos