The Magical Ingredients for a Wholesome Life From the Heart of my Home: Ram Ladoo

Ram ladoo is the delicious street food from Delhi and is a fritter made with dals, topped with chutney and daikon radish slaw. This is a vegan snack and is a crowd pleaser!

The star of this dish is not the dal or just the fritter. Daikon radish aka mooli in Hindi is the actual star! This delicious winter vegetable adds to the flavors of this street food and is a winter special too! Radish is added in three ways. Spicy, salty, sour radish slaw, radish greens are added to the chutney, and paste of radish greens is added to the batter too! Every bite will give the best flavor of this amazing veggie! Radish and radish greens are a must to make ram ladoo and without it, it would just be a dal fritter!

Yellow split moong dal is the major dal used here in addition to chana dal and urad dal. Urad dal is added in some versions and not in others. A very important step while grinding the batter is that water should not be added. It takes a little while to slowly grind but it is possible to make a smooth batter without adding water. Once the batter is ready, it is important to mix with your hand in one directional motion for some time, say about 3-4 minutes, to aerate the batter. Well aerated dough gives the perfect texture and fluffiness to the ram ladoo. Do not skip this step as it makes a lot of difference. In this recipe baking soda is not added while some recipes use it to aerate the dough. To check the aeration, add a little batter to the dough and it should float completely. If it sinks, continue whisking with your hand for a few more minutes. Check again for floating consistency and then proceed with the recipe.

The chutney is very similar to the green chutney but a good amount of radish leaves are also added. With lots of radish leaves in the chutney as well as in the batter, I feel that this is a great way to use the edible radish leaves. In our homes, we use the radish greens with dal to make a stew like curry, Radish Greens Kootu or we add it to the sambhar as it adds extra flavor and aroma. This chutney is a great way to use and I am going to try a pesto when I harvest a few radishes from my garden.

For uniform size of the fritters, use a cookie scoop. Though this can be done by hand, trust me, while using the cookie scoop, it is SO easy! The shape is perfect too! This is a win-win situation.

This makes about 50 fritters using a tablespoon size of batter. For assembling Ram ladoo, use about 6-7 per serving and the measurements given here would give a generous portioned seven servings. Adjust the portion quantity as desired, but I am warning you, these are addictive and you'll need more. Doubling the recipe is a great option!

The quantity of the chutney and slaw topping can be adjusted according to taste. The heat level too can be suited to preference. Check the salt and green chili as per your taste profile. Add a little of chutney and slow or pour them over! Either way it is delicious but do not skip those! They are the tastemakers and the star ingredients of the recipe. The ingredient list may be long but the recipe is an easy one.

Here are a few Indian street food recipes that could help you enjoy the same at your home!

Maggi Sandwich

Cauliflower Pakora/Bajji

Bangalore Style Masal Puri

Peanut Salad/Peanut Chaat

Rajasthani Mirchi Vada

Masala Pav

Alepak/Belgavi Bhel

Churmuri

Pakodas made of dal are usually added to sambhar or kadhi in Indian cuisine. Split moong dal pakoda kadhi is a popular one. If you are a pakoda kadhi lover try this Pumpkin Pakoda Kadhi which is my spin on the pakoda kadhi. This kadhi has pakodas made of split moong dal and pumpkins in pumpkin kadhi. Radish leaves are added in this Ram ladoo batter.

This is the final recipe for the three day Blogging Marathon. I shared Alepak/ Belgavi Bhel and Churmuri recipes based on the theme 'Street Foods'. We love these foods and guarantee that you'll start to love these too!

Today is the last Saturday of the month and is the time for our #PotluckParty! This is a fun group, and every last Saturday of the month, we share our favorite recipes, well, for a Potluck Party! Sue of Palatable Pastime hosts this event and if you are interested to join in this group, check here.

I am also linking this to Share The Wealth, Thursday Favorite Things, and Full Plate Thursday.

Ingredients

Makes about 50 fritters

Makes 7-8 servings

For the moong dal fritters

Yellow split moong dal - 1 cup

Urad dal - 1/4cup

Chana dal - 1/4 cup

Salt - 1 and 3/4 tsp

Green chili - 2 to 4, finely chopped

Ginger - 1 tbsp, finely chopped

Oil - 4 cups (for frying)

For radish Leaves Paste

Radish leaves - 1 cup

Water - 1 or 2 tbsp

For Ram Ladoo Chutney

Radish leaves - 1/2 cup

Cilantro - 1/2 cup

Mint leaves - 1/4 cup

Salt - 1/2 tsp

Lemon juice - 3/4 tbsp

Ginger - 1/2-in piece

Green chili - 2 to 4

Water -1/3 cup

For Radish salad

Daikon/radish - 1.5 cups, shredded

Cilantro - 1/4 cup, finely chopped

Radish leaves - 2 tbsp, finely chopped

Salt - 1/3 tsp

Lemon juice - 1.5 tsp

Green chili - 1 or 2, finely chopped

Method

Soak the dals in water for 2 hours.

Grind the radish leaves to a paste with a tablespoon of water and set aside.

Grind the ingredients under 'Chutney' to a smooth paste. Add about 1/3 cup water slowly while grinding, mix, and set aside.

To make the radish salad/slaw: Add the ingredients to a bowl, mix and set aside.

Drain the dals completely. Grind to a smooth paste in two batches. Transfer to a big bowl. Whisk for 3-4 minutes to aerate the batter. Add salt and continue the process for a couple more minutes. Check the fluffiness by dropping the dough in water and if it floats proceed to the frying part.