Boondi Laddu

Boondi laddu is our family's most favourite laddu. Every once in a year I make these for festivals.

Ingredients:

Bengal Gram flour - 2 cup

Rice flour - 1 tsp

Cooking soda - a pinch

Sugar - 1.5 cup

Water - 1 cup

Kesari powder (Saffron colour) - 1/2 tsp

Sugar candy cubes (Kalkandu) - 1 tbsp (optional)

Cashewnuts - 10 (broken)

Ghee - 1 tbsp

Cardamom powder - 2 pinches

Cooking camphor - a pinch

Oil (for deep frying)

Method:

Sift the bengal gram flour, rice flour & cooking soda.

Add enough water to make a batter.

It should be in a dosa batter consistency (not too watery or too thick).

Heat oil for deep frying in a deep wide kadai.

Place the boondi laddle (jaarini karandi) above the kadai and pour a cup of batter and shake.

Drops of batter should fall in the hot oil.

The boondi should come up immediately in oil and it should be half cooked.

When you press the boondi between your fingers it should be soft (it should not be crispy and breakable). Proceed with the remaining batter.

Meanwhile in another burner in a thick pan, add the sugar and water to prepare the sugar syrup.

When the sugar syrup reaches one string consistency remove from heat and add the cardamom powder and kesari powder. Mix well.

Now add the boondi, ghee roasted cashews, ghee & cooking camphor and mix well.
Keep aside till it becomes warm.

Add the sugar candy cubes and mix.

Make them into medium size balls. You should work very fast before this mixture becomes cool.

The sugar crystallizes when it cools.

Enjoy the beautiful and tasty laddus!

Note:

1. For making laddus it's good to have another person for help.

2. When the sugar crystallizes, sprinkle little warm milk and make balls.

3. If you feel that you have lot of boondi and little syrup, don't worry about it. Just add the required boondis to the syrup and retain the remaining boondis and vice-versa.

4. Adding colour and sugar candy is optional. Add sugar candy when the mixture is warm.

5. If you add raisins, it should be consumed within 2 days. :)

6. You can also add saffron strings and cloves.

Sent off to Saraswathi Iyer's " sweets & Savouries " event & Shanthi Krishna Kumar's

"Dussehra , Dhanteras & Deepavali " event.

Posted in: Diwali sweets, Sweet