Desserts Made With the Royal Grain
Ram dana desserts are both yummy and healthy!
Amaranth grain or Ram Dana is considered a Rajgira (or a royal grain) due to its medicinal properties. The word “amaranth” is actually derived from the sanskrit word “amar” which means immortal! Botanically it is not a cereal. It is often consumed in form of healthy desserts like laddoos and kheer (pudding).
Ram dana is chock full of nutrition. It has high amounts of calcium, iron, phosphorus and manganese. Ram dana has more protein than many other cereals, less carb and is very fibrous so easily digestible. This ancient, royal grain is an amazing source for great health.
Here I provide two simple recipes for Ram dana desserts — laddoos and kheer. The former are sweet balls with long shelf-life and can be used as healthy home-made snacks whereas the latter is a milk pudding.
Ram dana Laddoos
Ingredients:
- Puffed Ram dana: 2 cups
- Jaggery: 1 cup
- Butter: 1 teaspoon
- Cashew nut (optional): 5 (finely chopped)
- Raisins (optional): 6- 7
Preparation:
- Put Ram dana, cashew nuts, and raisins in a bowl
- Add butter and jaggery in a preheated pan
- Let jaggery melt completely
- Pour melted jaggery into a bowl
- Mix it well with puffed Ram dana
- Now put some water in your hands to give the material a ball shape
Ram dana Kheer
Ingredients:
- Milk: ½ liter
- Sugar: 2 spoons
- Puffed Ram dana: 1 cup
- Raisins: 8–10
- Almonds: 6–8 (optional)
- Cashew nuts: 6–7 (optional)
- Green Cardamom: 2
Preparation:
- Boil milk for five minutes on a low flame
- Add puffed Ram dana
- Cook it for 2–3 minutes on a low flame
- Add sugar, raisins, almonds, cashew nuts, and green cardamom
- Boil for 3 more minutes in a low flame
- Now switch off the gas and let it cool
- Serve it
So here it is two simple recipes. Ram dana is available easily across India. Outside India, it may be easy to find it in Indian grocery stores or online on Amazon etc. Do try the recipe and if you have other ways of using this amazing superfood, drop a comment!
