Laddu, iam not a big fan for it. but i tell you, its so fun to make and it will be enjoyed by the kids and family. My kid calls it as chotta bheem laddu. My son, just 4 and half year old, kissed my hands and told,"Thank You Amma, for making these chotta bheem laddu!". i was completely flattered on hearing that. i never thanked my mom, whenever she prepared my favourites, but these kids know very well, how to appreciate. Hubby, whenever picking up these laddus, shouts, "kanna laddu thinna aasaiyya" to my son. Iam glad that i made these laddu's for this diwali.
Laddu is one of easiest traditional sweet to make. The trick is on besan flour mixed with water. it should not be thick or watery. it should be like our dosa batter. if this is kept in mind, every other things make you way for perfect laddu. also keep washing the boondi karandi after every batch and wipe it dry with a clean cloth before starting every batch of boondi's. this will make all boondis look even.
check my video of making Boondhi Laddu.
important tip i learned: Laddu's cannot be shaped, when boondi is so hot. leave it to cool down, when the boondi mixture is just warm, start making laddu's. its so easy to shape laddu's.
i referred cilantro and jeyashri's kitchen for making these laddu.
How to make Laddu
Prep Time: 10 mins Cooking Time: 40 mins
Serves: 10
Recipe Cuisine: Indian
Recipe Type: Sweets
Ingredients:Serves: 10
Recipe Cuisine: Indian
Recipe Type: Sweets
Besan flour / Kadalai maavu - 1 cup (8 oz)
Cooking soda - a pinch
Water - 1/2 cup (more or less)
Oil - about 2 cup's ( for deep frying boondi's)
For Sugar Syrup
Sugar - 1 cup
Water - 1/2 cup
To fry and add to the boondi mixture:
Ghee - 2 spoons (1 and half Tbs)
Cashews - 2 tsp's (broken)
Raisins - 1 tsp
Sugar Candy / kalkandu - 1 tsp (with 1/2 tsp crushed)
Clove / lavang - 1/2 tsp
Cardamom - 2 (crushed)
Pachai karpooram - a pinch (though i did not add)
Method:
1. Get ready with boondi ladle and other ladle's as shown in the pic below. also have a strainer, to strain the oil from deep fried boondi. (you can also strain the boondis in a kitchen paper towel).
have a dry clean cloth for wiping the boondi ladle after every batch.
2. Heat Oil for deep frying boondi's in a wide pan, so that the frequency of making boondis will become less and make more boondi's in every single batch.
3. Simultaneously to prepare sugar syrup, in a pan, add 1 cup of sugar and 1/2 cup of water. when the sugar syrup boils, switch the flame to medium. check for single string consistency. you will get it in 5-6 minutes. the sugar syrup will be like honey. you can check single string, by swiping little syrup on your index finger, rub it on thumb and slowly stretch, when you get single string consistency switch off the flame and close the syrup with a lid.
4. Sieve Besan flour and cooking soda together. add water and mix it thoroughly without any lumps. see to that the besan flour and water mixed to correct consistency. it should be like our dosa batter. you can check by pouring a little batter over the boondi karandi and see the boondi's are easily falling out or not. if its not ease, mix little water.
5. Take a laddle full of besan flour mix and pour over the boondi karandi placed little above the heated oil pan. see the boondi's falliing out. Fry the Boondi's exactly for 1 minute. i left the boondi's in high flame for 1/2 minute and in low flame for another 1/2 minute. remove the boondi's to a strainer.
6. Wash the boondi laddle and wipe it clean and dry and start the next batch. dont fry the boondi till they turn golden colour, we dont want crispy boondi for sweet boondi.
7. On finishing making boondi's, add the strained boondi's to warm sugar syrup and mix well.
8. Heat a small pan, add ghee and fry cashews, raisins, cloves and add to the boondi mixed with sugar syrup.
9. Add crushed cardamom and 1/2 tsp of crushed sweet rock candy(kalkandu) & 1/2 tsp uncrushed. mix all together with the boondi mixture.
10. Heat the whole Boondi mixture in the pan in slow flame, so that if sugar crystalised melts down. just half a minute on slow flame will do. add ghee(1/2 tsp) to the mixture and close the pan with a lid.
11. Let the boondi mixture sit in the pan for 10 minutes. the whole mixture should be warm, when you are starting to shape laddu's. (just shape it, its so easy)
12. Give the laddu's a standing time of about 1 hour, so that it binds up well. store the laddu's in an air-tight container. it keeps well for about a week and more.
Notes:
Few laddu recipes ask to powder little amount of boondi and mix with boondi mixture before shaping laddu's. my boondi's were not crushable, as they were semi-cooked(thats how it should be).
Don't increase the sugar, just follow 1:1 ratio for sugar and besan flour. this yields perfect laddu's and the sugar level is very much enough.
Adding Ghee, helps the laddu to bind, so its must to add the right amount of ghee.
Using a good quality of Gram flour(besan flour) is also important. when i tried two batches, i used two different besan flours which showed difference in boondi's.