Boondi Ladoo | Laddu Recipe

The Diwali festival is not complete without making a batch of this delicious and tempting Boondi Ladoo. This Laddu recipe works perfectly every time and I have included tips and tricks in the post.

Diwali, the festival of lights means being surrounded by friends and family. I grew up having a wide range of sweets and snacks and I was always responsible for making sure that I distributed it to the neighbors.

This is that time of year when I venture out and try sweets that I have never made before. At the same time, I try to keep up with the tradition by making sweets that are common in South India.

This year I am making Badusha and this Boondi Ladoo. You might ask me why I chose these two sweets to make.

That is because they are one of my oldest posts that absolutely need new pictures. The recipes work perfectly and were made after many calls back and forth to my mother and aunts.

Why does this recipe work?

I will be talking about all the tips and tricks to make the perfect laddu that is juicy and addictive. The recipe for the Boondi ladoo is very simple. It is just a little time-consuming, but once we make it a couple of times, it starts coming naturally.

This recipe for Boondi ladoo works like a charm every time. I still remember the very first time when I made it, I was so scared to even start the process.

I had messed up the consistency of the sugar syrup and had made it go over the one-string consistency. That made it almost impossible to form the Laddu. I have included tips and tricks below if that ever happens to you.

Ingredients Needed

• Flour - We need Besan/chickpea flour and very little rice flour.

• Baking soda and salt - we need very little of these two to make the batter.

• Food color - We can use yellow or orange food color. It is optional and can be substituted with turmeric powder and saffron.

• Sugar - We use regular white sugar to make the syrup and also add a little sugar candy to the boondi ladoo when shaping.

• Cashew nut and raisins.

• Spices - Cardamom powder, nutmeg powder, clove powder, and some edible camphor.

• Ghee - a little to fry the cashews and raisins.

• Oil - for frying the boondhis

Step by step process

To make the Sugar syrup

• Take a wide wide-mouthed vessel and add the entire sugar with just enough water to cover the sugar (1).

• Mix the sugar well and let it dissolve.

• Simmer and let the sugar syrup come to a single-thread consistency. Let the syrup fall from the ladle and when it comes out as a thick string, rather than falling out in drops, the syrup is ready. You could also take a bit of syrup between your fingers and try to form a string. You will clearly see the single thread forming when the syrup is ready (2).

• Switch off the flame and add the food coloring (if using), saffron threads, cardamom powder and, edible camphor. Keep the pot covered and warm (3).

For the Boondi

• Sieve the besan, rice flour and, baking soda in a bowl (1).

• Make a batter adding enough water. Add a pinch of salt and mix well. The batter should be in a flowing consistency (2).

• Heat a wide-mouthed frying pan and heat oil. Have the Jarani or the Ladoo ladle ready (3).

• Once the oil is ready, pour the batter over the jarani and take another flat ladle and rub the batter on the jarani so that it falls out as tiny drops in the oil. Take precaution when doing this as the oil might splatter (4).

• Turn the boondi over once or twice (5) and once it becomes light brown in color, drain it on a paper towel (6).

• Do the same procedure for all the batter and keep the boondis ready.

Shaping the Boondi Ladoo

• Take a small frying pan and heat the ghee. Fry the cashews and raisins (7).

• Place all the fried boondi in a bowl large enough to be able to mix comfortably.

• Add the clove powder and nutmeg powder to the boondi and mix well.

• Now add the fried cashews and raisins to the mixture and combine (8).

• Pour the sugar syrup over the boondi and mix using a long ladle. If the sugar syrup cools down, make sure to warm it and then pour over the boondi. Cover the mixture and let it sit for sometime to cool (9).

• Once the Boondi ladoo cools down a little, add the kalkandu (Sugar candy), if using (10).

• When the mixture is warm enough to handle, start making tight balls from the mixture (11).

• Place the shaped laddu in a wide plate or tray and let it sit uncovered for few hours air dry them (12).

Expert tips and FAQ's

• Sieve the besan before making the batter. This helps in making a smooth batter without any lumps.

• Add a pinch of food color to the batter for a bright colored laddu. We can use turmeric powder as well instead of food coloring. I used yellow food color in my batter as well as in the sugar syrup.

• Do not let the sugar syrup go beyond the single thread consistency. If you feel the syrup is over cooked, add about a tablespoon or 2 of water and adjust the consistency.

• Add all the dry spices to the fried boondi for even distribution.

• I add a little saffron as well in my syrup for flavor. This is optional and can be skipped.

• Whole cloves can be added instead of clove powder. My boys do not like when they get a piece of clove in their bite, so I always add clove powder.

• If you are comfortable, you can make the suagr syrup and the boondi side by side. For a beginner, I would recommend making all the boondi first and then making the sugar syrup. This way right after the syrup is done, you can add the fried boondi to the hot sugar syrup.

• Cover the pan after you mix the boondi with the sugar syrup and let it sit for at least 15 minutes to allow the boondi to soak up all the syrup. You will notice the mixture will become dry after a little bit.

• Do not wait until the boondi is completely cool to shape the laddu. Shape the laddo when it is still a little warm.

• If you are unable to shape the ladoo and they keep falling apart, that means that the sugar syrup has gone over the one string consistency. In that case, sprinkle a tablespoon or two of very hot water to the ladoo mixture and try to shape again.

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