Paithama Laddoo Recipe | Lentil Laddoo | Diwali Special Recipe

Vegan Paithama Laddoo Recipe

A delicious, sweet laddoo without using ghee, sugar or milk! What more could one ask for. 🙂

Whole Food Plant Based Paithama Laddoo

Course: Desserts, Sweets
Cuisine: Diwali Special Tamil Recipe from South India
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Servings: 12 Paithama Laddoos

INGREDIENTS

1 cup Moong dal
1 cup Bengal Gram Dal
2 cups Soft Dates
4 Cardamom pods
1/2 cup Cashew

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Dry roast moong dal and bengal gram dal separately on low flame. Do not allow to brown too much. See Nutrition Science Highlights for Paithama Laddoo below for details.
2. Grind to a fine powder in a mixie or high powered blender.
3. Peel and powder cardamom. Mix cardamom powder and cashew nuts with the flours and keep aside.
   Remove seeds and grind soft date, 5 to 7 at a time if your mixie isn't high powered. Keep separately.
4. Mix all ingredients together. Serve fresh and consume as soon as possible!

Plant Based Chef Pro Tips for Best Paithama Laddoo

Traditionally, Paithama Laddoo is prepared with jaggery syrup and is a super hard laddoo. This Whole Food Plant Based version is a soft laddoo, easier to eat and enjoy!

Nutrition Science Highlights for WFPB Paithama Laddoo

1. Why not honey, sugar or jaggery? Sugar and Jaggery are processed foods. Although jaggery is healthier than brown sugar, which, in turn, is healthier than white sugar, all forms of processed foods are unhealthy when compared to whole plant foods. Honey is healthwise as good as jaggery, which isn't saying much. In addition to not being very healthy, honey production kills millions of bees every year, affecting our environment adversely. The best sweetener alternative is a whole fruit or dry fruit. The easiest method of using these is date syrup, as it does not involve peeling or chopping.
2. Why not dairy? Dairy products have been found to be associated with increased risk of chronic diseases, such as diabetes mellitus, hypertension, obesity, asthma, PCOS, and heart disease. We can still enjoy our milk, cream, and butter though - as long as they are made from whole plant foods!
3. Why legumes? Legumes are the #1 number food associated with long life in many recent large studies! They also fuel your gut microbiome through their resistant starch content and slow down glucose absorption, keeping your blood sugar levels steady - even in the next meal! This has been called the Second Meal Effect. This recipe is one of the yummiest ways to include pulses and legumes in your daily diet.
4. Why nuts instead of oil? Whole foods are healthier than processed foods. When nuts are pressed and oil is extracted, fiber and phytonutrients are lost, along with many other nutrients. Therefore, whole nuts are much healthier than oils, whether cold-pressed or refined. In addition, they provide the oil content we need to absorb fat-soluble phytonutrients from other whole plant foods! This may be why nuts are used to garnish nearly every traditional Indian dish!