Boondi Ladoo

The ingredients and method of making ladoo is easy. Making the boondis is a time consuming process..After many trials, I settled down with this recipe. It is my husband`s favorite sweet. My MIL makes ladoo`s for Diwali. She made them for our Thalai Diwali (the first Diwali we celebrated after our wedding). The recipe below yields 11 ladoos. When the exact method is followed; the result will be a soft and tasty creation. I use an ordinary Jalli karandi to make boondis. I purchased a new ladoo ladle. I have updated this post with few new pictures.

Ingredients for the boondis:

• Gram Flour  –  1 cup
• Rice Flour – 1 tsp
• Baking  Soda – a pinch
• Water – as required
• Oil – for deep frying

Ingredients for the sugar syrup:

• Water – ½ cup
• Sugar – 1 ½ cup
• Orange Food Color – 2 pinches

Ingredients for tempering:

• Ghee -2 Tsp
• Cashews – 15 (broken into small pieces)
• Raisins – 15
• Cloves – 4

Method:

• Heat ghee in a small pan.
• Add the cashews to it and roast them till they turn golden brown.
• Remove the cashews and set them aside.
• In the same pan add the raisins and cloves to the remaining ghee and roast them till they puff out.
• Turn off the heat.
• You will need two spatulas with many holes ( Jalli Karandi).
• One for making boondis and another for removing the boondis from the oil after it is cooked.
• Below is the photo of the Jalli Karandi and a Kuzhi karandi used to scoop the batter.

• Heat oil for deep frying the boondis.
• Mix gram flour, rice flour, baking soda and water together into a thick flowing batter.
• The batter should be able to flow through the holes of the Jalli Karandi.
• Test whether the oil is hot by placing dropping a little batter into the oil.
• It must rise up immediately.
• Place the Jalli Karandi over the oil; it shouldn’t touch the oil.
• Use a table spoon or a small kuzhi karandi and pour the batter on the Jalli Karandi and keep moving the kuzhi karandi in circles.
• The base of the Kuzhi karandi should touch the Jalli karandi.

• Small dollops of boondis will fall in the oil.
• When the boondis change color, use the other Jalli Karandi to remove it onto a paper towel.

• Mix water, sugar and the food color in a thick sauce pan.
• Turn on the heat. Prepare the sugar syrup of one string consistency.

• Add the fried raisins, cashews and boondis to the sugar syrup.
• Remove the cloves before adding the raisins to the syrup.

• Let the mixture cool. When the mixture is warm make small lemon sized balls.

Notes:

• If the ladoos break, the consistency is not right.
• Make ladoos even if they break and place them on a microwaveable plate and microwave for 15 seconds or a little more.
• You can start making ladoos when they are warm enough to handle.
• The boondi-sugar syrup mixture can also be warmed on low heat.