Boondi Ladoo Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 & 1/2 cup Gram flour (Besan / Kadalai maavu )
• 1 pinch Cooking soda
• 2 & 1/2 cup Sugar (You can reduce upto 2 & 1/4 cups for this recipe)
• 5 Cardamom
• 5 Cloves
• 1 small pinch Edible camphor (optional)
• 3 drops Rose essence (or use 1 tsp pure rose water/ panneer)
• 1 pinch Nutmeg powder (optional)
• 1 pinch Salt
• 1 Pinch Yellow food colour (optional )
• 10 Cashew nuts
• 15 Raisin
• 15 Sugar candy (kalkandu)

Instructions

1. 1

   --- Make batter ---

2. 2

   Sieve besan firstly. Add cooking soda (sodium bi carbonate), salt, food colour and mix with water in a bowl.

3. 3

   The consistency should not be too thick or too thin. Just right enough to get through the holes of the ladle easily.

4. 4

   --- Frying boondi ---

5. 5

   Heat oil and use a big ladle with holes to make boondi as shown below.

6. 6

   You will be needing two big ladles with holes as seen in the picture below(slotted).

7. 7

   One for making boondi and one for draining from oil. In addition, use another deep ladle to spoon the batter.

8. 8

   Pour one ladle of batter over the ladle with hole holding it just above the oil and spread it.

9. 9

   Make sure to hold the ladle high enough. If its too close, tails will be forming in the boondi.

10. 10

    Wipe the ladle with the karandi as seen below every time.

11. 11

    Fry with constant turning to ensure even cooking and drain once the bubbles ceases, no need to wait until it gets very crispy. Just make sure its cooked.

12. 12

    Drain in paper towel. Repeat to finish the batter.

13. 13

    --- Make sugar syrup ---

14. 14

    Then start with the sugar syrup now.

15. 15

    In a heavy bottomed vessel, boil sugar with water enough to immerse it.

16. 16

    Boil until 1 string consistency. If you swipe the back of ladle and check between ur thumb and forefinger, there will be a string forming in-between the fingers.

17. 17

    After that, continue heating in medium flame for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Switch off the stove. This is tricky, but after one string consistency reaches, this stage comes quickly where two string forms. Make sure to keep the flame in medium or low to not pass this stage.

18. 18

    Remove from the flame.

19. 19

    --- Make boondi ladoo ---

20. 20

    Add fried boondi to this and mix well. Keep aside.

21. 21

    Meanwhile, fry broken cashews, followed by raisins, cloves and add it to the boondi.

22. 22

    In goes edible camphor, rose water, cardamom, nutmeg if adding, sugar candy (kalkandu) and mix well.

23. 23

    When the boondi is warm enough to handle, make laddoos. Do not let the mixture cool down. Please refer the video below to see how I shape the ladoos.

24. 24

    I use gloves, but its optional, you can use your bare hands. No need to grease your hands. If you want you can grease with ghee.

25. 25

    Shape to ladoos, firmly make balls and smoothen the surface as you shape.

26. 26

    As it cools, sugar will bloom and ladoo will become dry.

27. 27

    The ladoo becomes best tasting and flavorful form next day (well balanced taste).