Sweets recipes | Havyaka

Ellunde | Til or Sesame laddu

By Leena Hegde, Puttanamane

Ingredients A quick look Step by step Notes

Ellunde is sweetened balls made from unhulled white sesame seeds and jaggery. Ellu is til or sesame. Unde is laadu or laddu or sweetened balls. Ellunde is a combination of 2 ingredients – ellu (til or sesame) and jaggery. The third ingredient cardamom is added to enhance the flavor, which is optional. Just the 2 ingredients, sesame and jaggery, makes for a great, warming sweet.

Ellunde is also a festive sweet during Chauti (Ganesh Chaturthi) and Makar Sankranti. Ganesh loves ellu (til or sesame). Most of the dishes made during Chauti includes the ingredient ellu (til or sesame). And, ellunde is the main sweet dish for Makar Sankranti. Makar Sankranti falls during winter and ellunde is a warming sweet, a truly right combination.

The pairing of ellu (til or sesame) and jaggery not only taste delicious but are also rich in iron and calcium. The aroma of jaggery is so great that you can even skip cardamom. Though lightly bitter, unhulled sesame seeds are also great flavor wise. And, jaggery overpowers the bitterness.

In this recipe, jaggery and sesame seeds are cooked to a soft ball consistency. So, these ellunde are with soft and lightly chewy texture. This can also be cooked to hard ball consistency. This gives the ellunde hard and brittle texture. Either way ellunde will taste good. However, the consistency should not be too soft. Too soft consistency will give ellunde elastic texture and will stick to teeth.

Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

15 mins

Cool off time

10 mins + 25 mins to make balls

Total time

1 hr

Course

Sweets

Diet

Vegan, Vegetarian

Difficulty level

Difficult

Servings

40 Ellunde

Ingredients

250 grams unhulled sesame seeds (Ellu or til)
1.25 cups jaggery
5 cardamoms

Cookware / Utensils

Large and thick pan or vessel
spoon or spatula
small bowl
Mortar and pestle (optional)

Instructions

Preparation

Take 4 to 5 cardamoms, remove the seeds and rinse them with water. Crush the cardamom seeds to powder in a mortar and pestle.
If you already have cardamom powder you can use the same.
Take half cup water in a small bowl and keep it handy.
Take 1.25 cups of jaggery in a thick pan or vessel.
Rinse the sesame seeds once or twice and drain the water completely. Keep it covered aside.
Rinse the sesame seeds just before heating jaggery. Do not rinse and keep for a long time.
Skip this step if the sesame seeds are priorly cleaned with water and dried naturally at home.

Make Ellunde mixture

Keep the pan or vessel with jaggery on stovetop on low heat. Semi liquid jaggery is used in this recipe and no need to add water.
If you are using powdered or grated jaggery or jaggery cubes then add 1/4 cup water or as required.
Keep on stirring the jaggery. Jaggery will melt more and starts bubbling.
Now, add the sesame seeds. Mix well.
Add cardamom powder.
Mix well and keep on stirring. Cook until the mixture comes to a soft ball consistency.
To check the soft ball consistency, take the water in a small bowl that was kept handy earlier. Drop a small portion of the mixture in the water and remove it. It should form a soft ball itself and turns firm on cooling.
While doing so do not forget to stir the mixture that is still cooking on the stovetop.
At soft ball consistency, switch off the heat and continue stirring for few seconds. Let it cool for 5 to 10 minutes. Mixture will thicken upon cooling.

Make Ellunde

Now, check if the mixture is hot enough to touch.
Grease your palms with ghee or oil. Begin and finish making the balls when the mixture is still hot. :-)
If the mixture is cooled down and unable to shape them, reheat the mixture for few seconds and begin making the balls again.
While making ellunde in more numbers, the last batch of the ellunde will be little dry due to reheating. As far as you like the sesame and jaggery combination, that is perfectly OK!
Cool the ellunde completely and store in an air-tight container or container with a tight lid. Ellunde stays good at room temperature for about 2 to 3 weeks.
Serve ellunde as a festive sweet dish or have them as a warming snack during winters.

Step by step guide

How to make Ellunde (Til or sesame laddu)

Preparation

1. Take 4 to 5 cardamoms, remove the seeds and rinse them with water. Crush the cardamom seeds to powder in a mortar and pestle.
If you already have cardamom powder you can use the same.

2. Take half cup water in a small bowl and keep it handy.

3. Take 1.25 cups of jaggery in a thick pan or vessel.

4. Rinse the sesame seeds once or twice and drain the water completely. Keep it covered aside.

Rinse the sesame seeds just before heating jaggery. Do not rinse and keep for a long time.
Skip this step if the sesame seeds are priorly cleaned with water and dried naturally at home.

Make Ellunde mixture

5. Keep the pan or vessel with jaggery on stovetop on low heat. This is semi liquid jaggery and no need to add water.
If you are using powdered or grated jaggery or jaggery cubes then add 1/4 cup water or as required.

6. Keep on stirring the jaggery. Jaggery will melt more and starts bubbling.

7. Now, add the sesame seeds. Mix well.

8. Add cardamom powder.

9. Mix well and keep on stirring. Cook until the mixture comes to a soft ball consistency.

10. To check the soft ball consistency, take the water in a small bowl that was kept handy earlier. Drop a small portion of the mixture in the water and remove it. It should form a soft ball itself and turns firm on cooling.
While doing so do not forget to stir the mixture that is still cooking on the stovetop.

11. Below picture shows the right consistency for the soft ellunde.

12. At this consistency switch off the heat and continue stirring for few seconds. Let it cool for 5 to 10 minutes. Mixture will thicken upon cooling.

Make Ellunde

13. Now, check if the mixture is hot enough to touch.

14. Grease your palms with ghee or oil. Begin and finish making the balls when the mixture is still hot.

15. If the mixture is cooled down and unable to shape them, reheat the mixture for few seconds and begin making the balls again.
While making ellunde in more numbers, the last batch of the ellunde will be little dry due to reheating. As far as you like the sesame and jaggery combination, that is perfectly OK!

16. Cool the ellunde completely and store in an air-tight container or container with a tight lid. Ellunde stays good at room temperature for about 2 to 3 weeks.

17. Serve ellunde as a festive sweet dish or have them as a warming snack during winters.

Notes

This recipe yields 30 to 40 ellunde depending on the unde or laddu or ball size. If you prefer, you can reduce the sesame quantity to 100 grams to start with.
If the mixture is overcooked and the ellunde is hard, adjust the mixture consistency by sprinkling little water to the mixture and reheating on low flame to get the soft balls.
If you are fine with the brittle texture, just make the sesame balls. No need to adjust the consistency.
If you are unable to make the balls due to mixture being hot, then pour the mixture into a greased plate and cut it when it is warm. Have them as chikki. This applies to both, soft and hard mixture consistency.
If the mixture is not binding and you cannot shape, mixture is undercooked and needs to be cooked more. So cook the mixture again until soft ball consistency.