Recipe- Popular Indian Sweet Boondi Ladoo

Boondi Ladoo is an amazing sweet made with sweet boondi. It is very popular, especially in kids. The size of boondimay vary in the ladoos. And I love all of them. Even now when I go to my parent’s house my father always keeps a regular supply of this fresh boondifor us.

Ingredients

For sweet boondi

1 cup besan/ gram flour
¾-1 cup water
oil for deep frying

For sugar syrup

1 cup of sugar
½ cup water
¼ tsp cardamom /elaichi powder
few strands of Saffron /kesar dissolved in 2 tbsp of water

To make Boondi Ladoo

1 tbsp Ghee /clarified butter
dry fruits of your choice (I have not added any dry fruits because my younger son does not like them in Ladoos. But if you like you can add almonds, pistachio slivers, magaz (melon seeds) or raisins.

Method

- Sieve Besan and mix with water. Start by adding a ½ cup and then gradually increase the amount to reach the desired consistency.

- It should bepourablebut not very dilute. I added almost 1 cup of water. Keep aside for 10 minutes.

- You can prepare the sugar syrup in the meantime. In a pan put sugar and water to boil.

- When the mixture comes to a boil, reduce the flame to medium and cook till the sugar syrup reaches single string consistency.

- It will take around 7-8 minutes. Add Saffron mixture and cardamom powder to the sugar syrup.

- Get all the utensils ready. Heat oil in a kadhai. Check it is hot or not by adding a single drop of Besan mixture. If the drop sinks, oil is not ready and if it starts floating on oil, oil is ready.

- I used my left hand to hold the perforated spoon and right hand to pour the Besan mixture. Take a ladle full of Besan mixture and start pouring over a large round perforated spoon ( Jharni) so that boondistart falling in the oil.

- One ladle is enough at a time. Turn the flame to low immediately and fry the boondi. It should take around 1 minute.

- Remove the boondifrom oil using another jharni and put them in the warm sugar syrup.

- Mix well. Wash the jharni used for pouring boondi after every batch and wipe dry with the help of cloth /paper towel (So that its holes do not become clogged). Repeat the same process to make more batches of boondi.

- When all the boondiare ready and mixed in the sugar syrup add ghee to it.

- Warm it a little bit if sugar has crystallized. Wait till the mixture is ready to be handled (it should still be a little warm for shaping Ladoos).

- Shape into balls with your hands. I made a small size so I got around 18 Ladoos. Store them in an airtight container.