Kala chana laddu

Kala chana laddu is the laddu built from black chickpeas roasted in a dry pan until the skins darken and the centres turn crisp, then ground and held together with jaggery and ghee. Where most chana dishes begin with soaked and boiled kala chana, this one keeps the grain dry and roasts it instead, so no soaking comes into the recipe at all.

Roasting turns the raw chana nutty and the ground powder sandy, which makes the laddu firmer and less melting than a besan laddu, with a deeper, toasted taste. The jaggery keeps the mixture moist and dark, the ghee carries the flavour and holds the crumb together, and cardamom is the classic scent. Fold in the chopped cashews, or almonds, for a crunch.

This recipe roasts and grinds the chana at home because a ready-roasted chana powder varies in roast and grind; if you use one, add the ghee a spoon at a time, since different powders take it up differently. For a no-jaggery version, use 150 g of powdered sugar in place of the jaggery; the laddus come out paler and slightly drier. The finished laddus keep about two weeks in an airtight tin at room temperature, no fridge needed.