Boondi Ladoo

Shelf Life: 7 days (At room temp )
Quantity: 15- 20 ladoos (Depending upon size)
Ingredients:

• Besan/ Gram Flour: 1 1/4 cup
• Yellow/ Orange colour:  a pinch/ a few drops
• Baking soda: a pinch
• Sugar: 1 1/4 cup
• Perforated ladles: 2 (ladle with holes in it) (See pic on the right)
• Water (for sugar syrup): less than 1/2 cup
• Water (to make batter): 3/4 cup - 1 cup
• Cardamom powder: 1 tsp
• Ghee: 1 tsp
• Cashews: 1-2 tbsp (chopped)
• Oil: for frying

Method:

• In a bowl/ pan, sieve besan and baking pwd . Add color. Make batter by adding a little water at a time and stirring it continuously. The consistency of the batter should neither be thick nor thin. (consistency should be little thick than Dosa Batter)

• Heat ghee in pan. Fry cashews for 2-3 mins and keep aside.
• Sugar Syrup: (Make it after making boondi else sugar will crystallise) 
• Heat a pan, add sugar and 1/2 cup water. 
• Stir till the sugar dissolves.
• Once the sugar is dissolved, lower the flame and cook for 3-4 mins to get 1 thread consistency.
• To check 1 thread consistency: Take a drop of sugar syrup in between index finger and thumb, when you'll stretch, you will see a thread formed between your index finger and thumb. 
• Switch off the flame when done. 
• Add cardamom pwd and cashews. Mix and keep it aside.
• To make Boondi:
• Heat oil in pan.
• Take a perforated ladle and place it above the oil. (I used cheese grater though)
• Now pour 2-3 tbsp of batter on the perforated ladle and gently tap the ladle (or stir the batter on ladle with spoon). The small drops of batter/ boondis will fall in the oil.

• When the boondi is lightly fried, take it out and place it on the tissue paper. (Fry the boondi lightly and take it out of the oil before it becomes crispy and crunchy.)

• In the same way, make boondis with the remaining batter. Also, clean both the sides of ladle every time (with hand) before you pour the batter on it, to get round shape boondis.
• Now, put the boondis in the blender and grind for few seconds. Make sure you don't make powder.

• Put the blended boondi in the sugar syrup. (The sugar syrup should be warm at this stage, neither cold nor very hot)

• Mix well.
• Dry your hands and apply a little ghee on hands and when the batter is warm, make ladoos.

PS:

• Make ladoos before the mixture becomes cold as the sugar will crystallize and you wont be able to make ladoos then.
• Do not touch the mixture/ ladoos with wet hands.
• The sugar syrup should be warm when you put boondi in it.
• Fry the boondi lightly and take it out of the oil before it becomes crispy and crunchy.