Laddoo boondi

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“Laddoo boondi is a popular Indian sweet treat. It's made from small, deep-fried, pearl-sized drops of gram flour (besan) batter. These tiny fried balls are called ‘boondi’. The boondis are then soaked in sugar syrup to sweeten them.” – Rohann Chetty

Ingredients

For the batter:
184 g flour
2½ cups water
1 t egg yellow or pink food colouring
For the syrup:
400 g sugar
1 cups water
2–3 drops almond essence
1 t ground cardamom (elachi powder)
2 cups oil or ghee, for deep frying (I used oil)
100 g ground almonds, mixed with some egg yellow or pink food colouring

Cooking Instructions

1. To make the batter, place the gram flour in a measuring jug or bowl that you can easily pour from.

2. Gradually add the water to form a smooth batter, then add the food colouring. Whisk until you have a smooth, bright orange or pink batter. Set aside.

3. To make the syrup, place the sugar and water in a saucepan over a medium-high heat. Bring to a boil. When the syrup is pulled apart between your index finger and thumb, it should have a threadlike consistency. Add the almond essence and elachi powder and set aside.

4. Heat the oil or ghee in a pan over a medium-high heat. Gradually pour in some batter through a perforated ladle, and fry for 1 minute. Remove using a slotted spoon, then drain on kitchen paper. You may need to change the paper towel a few times to keep them crisp. Continue this process until all the batter has been fried.

5. Add the boondi to the syrup and allow to stand to soak up the syrup for about an hour. Mix in the ground almonds. You can leave the mixture as is for a more rustic boondi or mash it with a fork to your desired consistency. I mashed mine with a fork. Shape into balls. Serve immediately.

Find more Diwali recipes here.

Photographs: Jan Ras
Production: Khanya Mzongwana
Food assistant: Tahila Pillay