Coconut Paan & Gulkand Laddoo

Coconut Paan and Gulkand laddoo is a paan flavored coconut laddoo stuffed with gulkand. Sounds as refreshing as it could taste, isn’t it? Yes, coconut, paan and gulkand are very commonly used in meetha paan which is usually eaten in India as a mouth freshener after food.

The original recipe of this laddoo, probably the brainchild of Manali, the owner of a very impressive food site called cookwithmanali.com took many foodies on various social food groups by storm and so was I. However, I have tweaked the recipe little bit to suit my preference.

These laddoos are very easy to prepare, have a pretty good shelf life (trust me when I say this because these laddoos have traveled thousands of miles, across oceans) and very captivating. I have been making these laddoos for the last two years for Diwali and several other occasions. Do give it a try to please your taste buds.

Betel (Paan) Leaves – 15 medium sized
Dessicated Coconut (powder), unsweetened – 2 1/2 cups + 1/2 cup of rolling
Sweetened Condensed Milk – 14oz/396 grams (1 tin)
Gulkand (Rose Petals Jam) – 1/2 cup
Ghee – 2 teaspoons + 1 teaspoon for greasing
Dry Rose Petals, crushed – 2 teaspoons (optional)

Method:

1. Remove the stem of the betel leaves, wash and pat them dry.
2. Roughly chop the leaves.
3. Blend the betel leaves and condensed milk until the mixture is smooth, homogeneous and well combined. Make sure there are no chunks of leaves in the mixture.
4. In a pan, add 2 teaspoons ghee and roast dessicated coconut powder for 2-3 minutes on low flame. Do not let the coconut powder brown.
5. Now add the blended leaves mixture, mix well and cook on low flame for another 2 minutes. The mixture will thicken slightly. Turn off the heat. If you prefer, you can add a few drops of green food color to brighten the color of the laddoos. I do not recommend using any artificial color in food. Let the mixture cool down until you can handle with your palm.
6. Once cooled, gently mix the coconut mixture so that the heat in the mixture is evenly distributed. 
7. Divide the mixture into 15 equal portions.
8. Take 1/2 cup dessicated coconut powder in a wide bowl. 
9. Grease your palms with little ghee, take a portion of the mixture, flatten it, place a teaspoon of gulkand in the centre and bring the edges of the coconut mixture together and roll it between your palms to form a laddoo. 
10. Now roll the prepared laddoo in dessicated coconut in the bowl. Repeat Steps 9 and 10  for all the remaining portions.
11. Sprinkle a pinch of crushed rose petal on top of the laddoos, if you prefer.
12. Keep the laddoos refrigerated. Serve as and when needed. The laddoos stay fresh for up to a week.