New Delhi: As soon as the festival of Chhath Puja approaches, preparations for making various types of dishes and prasad begin in homes. During this time, Kasar laddus along with thekua, kheer and fruits are also specially made. This traditional sweet has special significance in Bihar and Purvanchal. These laddus prepared from rice, jaggery, desi ghee and dry fruits are delicious in taste. The special thing is that they are also made on the third day of Chhath Puja i.e. on the occasion of Sandhya Arghya.
Why are Kasar laddus made only from new crop rice?
There is a religious belief behind making Kasar laddus. According to belief, the grains obtained from the new crop are first offered to God. Under this tradition, Kasar Laddus are prepared from new rice and jaggery and offered as Prasad to Chhathi Maiya.
The tradition of making Kasar Laddus has been going on for generations in many families of Bihar and Purvanchal. To make it at home, you will need 1 cup roasted rice flour, half cup jaggery, half cup desi ghee, half cup fennel, one-fourth cup grated coconut, 2 tablespoons cashews, 2 tablespoons raisins, half teaspoon cardamom powder and one-fourth cup water. To make this, first prepare jaggery syrup.
prepare jaggery syrup
Put jaggery and water in a small pan and heat it on low flame. Keep stirring until the jaggery melts completely. When a string starts forming in the syrup, turn off the gas.
Mix dry fruits and jaggery syrup in rice flour
Mix dry fruits with rice flour. Now take roasted rice flour in a big plate or plate. Add grated coconut, cashew nuts, raisins and cardamom powder to it and mix well. Add fennel and desi ghee to the prepared mixture. Mix all the ingredients well, so that the ghee spreads evenly throughout the mixture. Now add jaggery syrup. After this, add the prepared jaggery syrup to the rice mixture little by little. Take care not to add the syrup all at once. This will make it easier to make the mixture suitable for tying laddus.
Make laddus by giving them round shape
When the mixture is mixed well, take a small amount in your hands and give it a round shape. Similarly, prepare small laddus from the entire mixture. If the mixture becomes too wet, you can add some more rice flour to it. Kasar laddus can be stored for a long time. A special thing about Kasar laddus is that they can be prepared in advance and kept. After cooling the prepared laddus, keep them in a clean and dry airtight container. This makes it easier to maintain them. This traditional Prasad prepared on the occasion of Chhath Puja not only tastes good but also reminds us of our old culture and traditions. The sweetness of jaggery, the aroma of fennel and the local taste of rice make Kasar Laddus a special sweet of the festival.