Besan Ladoo - Indian Sweet balls made from roasted chickpea flour

Its Sankranti morning and it has been raining cats and dogs!! Sankranti is celebrated in parts of India to mark the end of winter with the sun returning back to the northern hemisphere.  Rain cannot dampen the festive spirit  and isn't a festival incomplete without sweets?? :)
A lot of traditional Indian sweets are made to satisfy not just the taste buds but also the eyes and the noses ,hence making traditional Indian sweets turn out to be a time consuming affair, an art perfected by the experience and patience of the person making it. Having said that, i dint have much time on my hands to spend on making elaborate sweets, so i settled for ladoos. Ladoos are yummy yet can be made without many complications. Besan ladoos are sweet balls made from chickpea flour and are traditionally made by roasting or cooking the besan in a pan. Here is a quicker and easier version of the besan ladoo made in the microwave, which turned out to be delicious!!

Ingredients:
1 cup - besan (chickpea flour)
1/2 cup - ghee ( clarified/melted unsalted butter) - can be made by heating butter for a couple of minutes in the microwave
3/4 cup - sugar
2 teaspoons - cardamom powder
1/2 cup - milk - this is for binding and is an optional ingredient. Not needed if you are able to form perfect balls without the milk.
almond flakes - for garnishing

Method:
Mix besan and ghee in a microwave safe bowl. If your ghee is solid, warm it in the microwave to loosen it.
Microwave this mixture for 3 minutes, mixing after every 1 minute.
After 3 minutes , turn microwave power to low and microwave the mixture for 2 minutes, mixing after every 1 minute.
By this time the besan should be cooked and you should be able to smell the sweet smell of cooked besan, which is definitely not negligible! In case you are not able to smell the besan it means that it has not cooked well and a couple of minutes more in the microwave should be enough.
Allow this mixture to cool. By this, I mean the mixture should become warm from hot. Do not let the mixture become cold, this is because sugar mixes well when the mixture is still warm. Once the mixture is warm mix the sugar and cardamom powder in.
Shape the mixture into small balls using your hands. If you find the mixture too dry and are not able to make perfect balls, wet the mixture with a little milk and make the balls.
For garnishing, you can apply a little ghee on the balls and stick the almond flakes on them.
Besan ladoos are ready to be served. :)

Happy Sankranti to all :)