Boondi laddu

Boondi laddu

Hope every one had a safe and happy diwali.  We went to temple and they gave sparkles to all kids (both my elder and yonger got them). My elder son had so much fun with them, while my younger son is hesitent to touch them, my eldest took the pleasure of having all the sparkles. I made rangoli with color sand and decorated my house with lighting and enjoyed food with family and friends.  so, altogether we had a memorable day..

I made my all time favorite sweet Boondi laddoo. I remember my early days in US, when I used to crave for this laddo and I cannot find it anywhere. One fine day, my friend and I started to collect the recipe by calling so many friends and  relatives and all we hear is, no… we don’t know!! and ‘ohh..my..it is tough to make’..kind of words. Anyway, we got this recipe from my friend relative and from then we been doing it. Don’t be skeptic, all it needs is another person you can chit chat with, I called my neighbor to chit chat with me while doing this.

Ingredients-

• 3 cups Besan (Senagapindi / Gram flour)
• 3 cups sugar
• 4 cups water
• 1 tbsp cardamom
• 20 cashew nuts
• 15- 20 raisins
• Pinch of  edible camphor
• 2 tbsp Ghee (clarified butter)
• oil for deep frying

Boondi laddu

Directions-

1. Take besan (senagapindi) flour and add 2 cups of water to it. Make a thick paste (this will prevent lumps) to this thick paste, add 2 cups of water to make it to a dosa batter consistency
2. Another quick check is, pour 1 tbsp of batter onto the boondi ladle, the batter should drip immediately with out much effort.
3. Heat a heavy bottom vessel and prepare sugar syrup by adding 1 cup of water to 3 cups of sugar.
4. Let the sugar melt on low heat (since we are working with 3 cups of flour, by the time all the flour is done, our syrup will be ready. If you are working with less amount of flour, you can make this syrup ahead)
   Heat oil In a deep bottom pan. The oil should be hot enough. When you drop a small drop of batter in the oil, it should immediately bubble up. Note-The oil temperature is also an important aspect to make perfect boondi. If the temperature of the oil reduces the boondi will stick together. The boond’is should cook and come up separately.
5. Take the boondi ladle(perforated ladle) and pour a ladle of batter and make boondi. Fry them for ½ min and take them into a bowl. To see if the boondi is perfectly cooked for laddus, press one in between your finger. It should get squeezed in, instead of cracking and breaking into pieces.
6. Following the above step, make boondi with all the batter.
7. The consistency of syrup is the key point (this is the reason why many are reluctant to try this sweet), here are few ways you can identify the right consistency-

• Take a small bowl with 2 tbsp water. Add 3 drops of sugar syrup into the bowl of water, the sugar syrup should come together to form a soft ball.
• Take a wooden spoon and dip into sugar syrup (just dip it, to coat the spoon), raise the spoon to your eye level and pour the syrup, the last drop of the syrup should form a single string when dripping down.
• Take a wooden spoon and dip into sugar syrup (just dip it, to coat the spoon), carefully take the syrup between your thumb and index finger. Now, stretch it little and see if you can get a single string.

1. When the syrup is ready, add crushed cardamom powder and edible camphor ( nice aroma spreads all over your house). Cover the syrup with a lid so that it does not crystallize.
2. Heat ghee in a small pan and fry cashew nuts and raisins till golden brown.
3. Add boondi, cashews and raisins to the sugar syrup and mix them thoroughly. Let it cool little bit so that we can handle ( it should be atleast little warm, if it is too cold, it’s hard to make laddus).
4. Take handful of boondi’s and with our other hand press it hard. Now, make real tight fist so that the boondis can hold together. It surely needs practice don’t hesitate, do it and you’ll get it.

Enjoy these traditional home made boondi laddos.

Boondi laddu