Boondi ladoo is an indian dessert made from sweetened, fried chickpea flour. Being very sweet, it can only be stored for a week or so.These are called boondi ladoos, since the batter is poured through a ladle or sieve with perforations while frying. These give rise to round shaped droplets, called as boondi (derived from the word ‘boond’ in hindi which means water droplets).
In this lockdown, I was craving for some boondi ladoos but they were not available anywhere so tried them at home and they came out delicious!
Saffron contains an impressive variety of plant compounds that act as antioxidants molecules that protect your cells against free radicals and oxidative stress.
The muskmelon seeds are rich in magnesium and phosphorous and high on fiber, which is amazing for diabetics and those looking to lose weight.
How to make Boondi ladoo:
INGREDIENTS:
For boondi batter
1 Cup Besan/ Gram flour
1 cup water or add as required, the amount of water to be added depends on the quality of besan.
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 pinch of crushed saffron or 8-10 saffron strands
2 tablespoon muskmelon seeds (magaz)
1/2 tsp green cardamom powder
Ghee/oil for deep frying the boondis
For sugar syrup:
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
3-4 kesar strands
Steps to make boondis :
Take gram flour, kesar, baking soda and water to make a smooth batter. The consistency of the batter is important.The batter should neither be very thick nor very thin. We can check if the consistency is right by frying a few boondis.
Pour some batter with a help of spoon or whisk into the hot oil. The boondis should have a round shape.
If boondi becomes flat, the batter is thin and if it gets tail end, the batter is thick. If thin, then add a bit of gram flour.If thick, then add a bit of water. Once you get the correct consistency, proceed with the next step of frying the boondis.
Take a dry perforated ladle or boondi jhara and place it above the hot oil. Take a ladle with small size holes.
Don't keep too much on a height, as the batter droplets after falling from a height may not give a round shape.
With a spoon, add some batter on the perforated spoon ladle and slowly spread the batter lightly with a spoon.
Fry the boondis on a medium flame until they are cooked and golden brown. Don't make them crisp or overdo the frying. When the oil stops sizzling, remove the boondis. Finish up the batter on the perforated spoon ladle this way.
This step is important because if boondis becomes crisp then the boondi ladoos won’t be soft and they won't absorb the sugar syrup.
Steps to make sugar syrup :
Mix sugar, kesar strands and water in a pan. Keep the sugar solution on stove top on a low heat.
Cook the sugar syrup till it comes to boil for 6-7 minutes. Switch off the flame and keep the sugar syrup aside.
Steps to make boondi ladoos :
Strain the fried boondi well with a slotted spoon or a sieve and then add them directly to the sugar syrup. Make sure sugar syrup is hot when you add the boondis.
Now add the muskmelon seeds (magaz) and green cardamom powder.
Cover it with a lid for 3-4 minutes on low flame till boondis absorb all the sugar syrup.
After cooling down the mixture for 5-6 minutes, shape it into ladoos.
You can also add ghee for binding them.
Finally, you can garnish your ladoos with kesar strands and muskmelon seeds and they are ready to serve.
You can find saffron and magaz/mix seeds by clicking on the link below:
Amazing ladoos🥰