Today is the second day of Blogging Marathon and I am posting under Navrathri Sweets. Laddu is a very special sweet and is a must in every festival. Mom prepares laddu for Deepavali usually. I used to help her while preparing lots and lots of laddus. After marriage, I made sure that I prepare laddu for every Deepavali and share it with friends and relatives. Usually Sruti doesn't taste it. But after watching Chota Bheem she wants the laddus Bheem eats. She has been pestering me for weeks and yesterday I made it. I love to add orange food colour to the laddus, but those who want it yellow can just omit the food colour. These laddus are so soft and melts in the mouth. I add broken cashew but you can go for pistas and almonds. But traditionally it is cashew and raisins. I am linking this to Walk Through Memory Lane going on at my space.
Makes 21 Laddus:
Ingredients:
Besan / Kadalai Maavu -1 cup / 150 gm
Water-1 cup
Orange Food Colour-a few drops
Sugar-3/4 cup / 150 gm
Cardamom Powder-1/2tsp
Broken Cashew-2-3tbs
Ghee-1tsp
Oil-To Deep Fry
Procedure:
1. Mix water and besan to make a batter. Add food colour and mix well.
2. Add 1/4cup of water and cardamom powder to sugar in a sauce pan and bring it to boil.
3. Reduce flame and let the syrup come to half thread consistency. To know half thread consistency, take the syrup in a ladle. Touch the syrup with forefinger. Then bring together index finger and thumb together and pull apart. A thread will form and half way through it will break. At this point remove syrup from flame.
4. When the syrup is on stove, heat oil in a pan in another stove.
5. Start making boondhis when the syrup is ready.
6. Hold a boondhi ladle on top of oil.
7. Take a ladle full of batter and pour it on the ladle. Do not press. Let the drops of batter fall into the oil.
8. Fry until the sizzling stops. Do not wait for the boondhi to change colour.
9. Remove the boondhis and drop them into the syrup. Mix well with a ladle.
10. Prepare boondhis with the rest of batter. By now there will be no syrup left.
11. With a heavy object mash the syrup soaked boondhis into a coarse mixture.
12. Heat ghee and fry the cashew until golden.
13. Add it to the boondhi mixture. Mix well.
14. Take small portions and shape it into a ball by holding it tightly in the palm.
15. Prepare the remaining laddus.
16. Allow it to air dry for 2-3 hours.
17. Store in an air tight jar.
Mix batter.
Make sugar syrup to 1/2 thread consistency. It was very hard to catch in a camera. But I tried my level best.
Pour batter on a boondhi ladle and let the drops fall into the hot oil.
Drop the boondhis into the prepared syrup. and mix well.
Mash them with a heavy object to a coarse mixture.
Add fried cashew and mix well.
Shape the mixture into laddus.
Allow them to air dry before storing.
Labels: BESAN, SOUTH INDIAN DELICACIES, SUGAR, SWEETS
