Boondi Ladoos

Boondi Ladoos

One of my favourite Indian dessert is Boondi Ladoos. So I decided to make it in my kitchen. Here is a simple recipe from Internet with some tips from my maid who makes it regularly on festivals.

Ingredients 

For Boondi

1.5 cups besan/gram flour

1 cup + 1 tbsp water or add as required (the amount of water to be added depends on the quality of besan/gram flour)

2 pinch of saffron powder

½ tsp cardamom powder

1 tbsp melon seeds

2 black cardamoms seeds 

a pinch of edible camphor (optional)

¾ tbsp ghee to be added or ghee for applying on your palms for shaping the ladoos

oil for deep frying the boondis

For Sugar Syrup

1.5 cups sugar

¾ cup water

Method

For Boondies

Take besan & saffron powder in a bowl & add water to make a smooth batter. The consistency of the batter is important, check it by frying a few boondis. The boondis should have a round shape. (Check Tips).

Take a dry perforated ladle and place it above the hot oil. Add some batter on the perforated spoon ladle & spread the batter lightly with a spoon. 

Fry the boondis till they are cooked. Don't make them crisp, when the oil stops sizzling, remove the boondis.

Strain them well with a slotted spoon and add them directly to the hot sugar syrup.

Fry all Boondies in same manner & add them to sugar syrup.

Finally add melon seeds, cardamom powder, black cardamon seeds,  I tbsp ghee & a pinch of edible camphor (optional).

Mix well & shape the boondi mixture into ladoos. Place in small muffin liners.

Let it dry in open for sometime & then store them in airtight box in refrigerator.

For Sugar Syrup

Mix sugar & water in a pan on a low heat.

cook it & switch off the flame just before getting a one thread consistency. Keep it aside.

The sugar syrup should be hot when you add the boondis. so you can keep the pan with sugar solution on a plate or tray filled with hot water. 

You can fry the boondis & prepare the sugar solution side by side.

Tips

* If boondi become flat, on frying, the batter is thin & if they get tail ends, the batter is thick. 

* If thin, then add a bit of gram flour & check by frying a few boondis. if thick, then add a bit of water & then do the same test. 

* When frying Boondies, don't keep ladle at much height, as the batter droplets, when falling from a height, do not give a round shape.

* Don't fry crisp Boondies, if boondis becomes crisp then the boondi ladoos won’t be soft and they won’t be able to absorb the sugar syrup.

* Remember that after each batch, wipe the perforated ladle with a clean piece of kitchen towel from both sides. It will help in making round Boondies.

* Adding ghee to Boondi & sugar syrup mixture, helps in binding the boondi ladoos.

* Don't wait for mixture to cool down as it will be difficult to bind Ladoos if it's not warm.

* Do let Ladoos dry before storing.