Boondi laddu is a popular Indian sweet made from gram flour and sugar syrup. It is a round-shaped sweet that is often served during festivals and special occasions. The gram flour is made into small droplets and fried until crispy. These fried droplets are then mixed with a sweet syrup made from sugar, cardamom, and saffron. The mixture is shaped into small round balls and allowed to cool and harden. Boondi laddu is known for its rich taste and sweet aroma, and it is often enjoyed as a dessert or offered as prasad (religious offering).
Boondhi Laddu
20
servings15
minutes30
minutesBoondi laddu is known for its rich taste and sweet aroma, and it is often enjoyed as a dessert or offered as prasad (religious offering).
Ingredients
Besan flour – 2 cups (heaped)
Cooking soda – a pinch
Salt – a pinch
Oil for deep frying
Sugar – 3 cups
Water – 3/4 cup
Few drops of kesar colour (optional)
Cashew Nuts – 10 to 15
Raisins – 10 to 15
Cardamon Powder – 1 teaspoon
Cloves – 5
Diamond candy (Kalkandu) – one tablespoon (optional)
Ghee – 2 tablespoons
Directions
- For Boondi:
- In a mixing bowl, combine flour, salt, and cooking soda. Gradually add water to form a smooth batter, similar to dosa batter.
- Heat oil in a heavy-bottomed kadai. Hold a boondi ladle with small round holes over the kadai. Carefully pour the batter over the holes, tapping gently to allow the batter droplets to fall into the hot oil.
- Quickly stir with another ladle and remove the boondis once they are 3/4th cooked. Do not overcook them. Set the boondis aside and repeat the process for the remaining batter.
- For Syrup:
- In a separate vessel, combine sugar and water, then bring to a boil.
- Add food coloring and continuously stir until the syrup reaches a one-string consistency.
- Stir in the cardamom powder and turn off the heat.
- Mixing:
- Combine the boondis with the prepared sugar syrup, mixing thoroughly.
- Heat ghee in a pan and fry cashew pieces, raisins, and cloves. Add these fried ingredients to the boondi-syrup mixture.
- Add kalkandu (sugar candy) and mix well. Allow the mixture to sit for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- While the mixture is still warm, shape it into lemon-sized balls, placing them on a plate as you go. Continue this process until all the boondi mixture has been used.
- Storage:
- Place the finished laddus in an airtight container for storage.
- Note: Using the measurements provided, you should yield between 20 to 25 laddus.
Hi Kamala, the ladoos look awesome… looks just like the store bought ones… but sure these is better than those store bought ones :). your recipe seems to be easy too.. surely will try it… ladoos are in my list for a long time…
Hi Dhivya,
Thank you for visiting my site. Yes. When we prepare at home, we can adjust sugar etc according to our taste and it will also fresh from our kitchen. Wishing you a very happy deepavali.
Hi Kamala,
Thanks for you laddu recipe.I tried it today but the boondis turned dry and I coudn't catch laddoos in it. What Can I do to catch laddoos? I think there was no enough sugar syrup.
thank you and HAPPY DIWALI!!!
I think you have kept the sugar syrup for long time in the stove. You can fry a cup of besan in two to three tablespoon of ghee and add it to the boondis alongwith two to three tablespoons of powdered sugar and make laddo.
Hi.
We tried this today. The boondis were not soft like the store bought ones, instead it was crispy even after soaking in sugar syrup. Also, we were not able to catch laddoos even though we had enough sugar syrup in it. Please suggest..
But the taste was good.
Thanks,
Mohana
Hi Mohana,
I think you have overfried the boondies. Boondies should be fried for few seconds and when you remove it should be soft – not crispy like “Karaa Boondi”. If you overfry the boondies, then it will not get soaked and will not absorb the sugar syrup.
Thanks for the response Madam. Will try as per your suggestion…
Hi,
I made the laddoos for Diwali. The sugar syrup which my mother used to make used to be “half-thread” consistency. This “soft-ball” consistency is new to me. But I tried your recipe and removed the syrup when it came to half-thread. And I added all the fried boondis immediately. When they were warm, I shaped the laddoos. Only 10-12 could be shaped. The rest of them cooled before I could shape and we had to eat “Sweet Boondi” !! What was my mistake?
Hi Sudha,
Yes. Some people use half-thread consistency and the laddo will be very soft. My version is the next stage of sugar syrup and the laddo is slightly heavier than the other one. In your case, I think the sugar quantity is less or the boondis are overfried. When you overfry (i.e. crispy) the boondis will not soak in the syrup and you will not be able to make laddos.
can you provide the measurement for one cup
Hi Prathipa,
1 cup normally measure 200 grams. But when you measure the ingredients in the same cup (little smaller or bigger), the proportion will be perfect.
My grandma used to make the best ladoos ever,but unfortunately I did not learn from her. These ladoos are looking similar to the ones she made. I am definitely going to try this.I would like to make ladoos with the sugar slightly crystalized on the outsde , is this the right consistency for that type of ladoo? Pl advise
Hi Maria Ramesh,
Boondhi Laddu is prepared with different proportions. Some prepare it using one string consistency of sugar syrup and the laddu is very soft. But mostly in South India, sugar syrup is prepared to soft ball consistency and it is slightly harder.
Hi da,how long will it take for string consistency for your measurements
Hi kamal can you tell me how to preserve bundi laddus
You can keep it in the refrigerator.