Sesame Almond Laddu

Nuvvulu Badam Pappu Laddulu.

White sesame seeds are lightly toasted and ground into fine powder along with almonds and jaggery. The mixture is then formed into small laddoo. Serve sesame almond laddu as required and it stays fresh for a couple of weeks.
Makes: around 7 Sesame Almond Laddu.

Ingredients:

Sesame Seeds 3/4 Cup
Almonds 10
Jaggery 1/2 Cup – 3/4 Cup (Grated)

Method of preparation:

Soak almonds in water and microwave for a minute.
Peel the skin and let the almonds dry.
Roughly chop the almonds and keep aside.

Heat a heavy bottomed pan on low heat, add sesame seeds and fry till they turn light golden in color.
Remove from heat and cool the sesame seeds to room temperature.

Grind almonds into fine powder using a grinder.
Then add the sesame seeds and grind again into powder.
Finally add the sufficient grated jaggery and grind well.
Remove the ground mixture onto a plate.

Take lemon sized portion of ground sesame mixture and roll into tight laddu with help of hands.
Store the formed sesame almond laddu in a jar and they stay fresh for couple of weeks.
Serve sesame almond laddu as necessary.
Notes: Make sure not to over toast the sesame seeds.

Suggestions: Adjust jaggery according to your preference. Choose somewhat soft jaggery if possible to ease the laddu making. If you have hard jaggery, you can melt with few tsps of water into syrup before adding the ground sesame almond powder.
Variations: You can also add a small pinch of cardamom powder or a tiny pinch of nutmeg powder while grinding.
Other Names: Sesame Almond Laddu, Nuvvulu Badam Pappu Laddulu.

Banana Almond Milkshake

Banana Almond Milkshake.

Blanched almonds are ground into fine powder. Banana is chopped and blended with milk and almonds into smooth mixture. Serve banana almond milkshake immediately.
Makes: 2 Servings of Banana Almond Milkshake.

Ingredients:

Banana 1
Milk 2 Cups
Blanched Almonds 4 Tbsps

Method of preparation:

Peel and roughly chop the banana.

Grind almonds into powder using the grinder.
Then add the chopped banana and little milk and blend again.
Once smooth, add remaining milk and blend well.
Pour into glasses and serve banana almond milkshake immediately.
Notes: Make sure to blend the banana well.

Suggestions: Add crushed ice while blending if desired.
Variations: You can also add honey as a sweetener.
Other Names: Banana Almond Milkshake.