What would any Indian festival or celebration be without this all time favorite dessert Ladoos. In this post, I will be sharing a time tested and fool proof homemade ghee boondi ladoo recipe handed over to me by my grandmother.
WHAT IS GHEE BOONDI LADOO ?
Boondi ladoo is an Indian sweet recipe prepared from chickpea flour pearls. Boondi pearls are deep fried in pure ghee and the pearls are then soaked in a sugar syrup before we shape them to round balls.
Traditionally, Boondi Ladoo is prepared for all weddings, and major festivals in India.
Although, we had easy access to sweet shops, families always made all the sweets at home for festivals. If we engaged cooks, the cooks always closed the doors while cooking. Because it was their trade secret, they never let us watch them.
MY FAMILY’S BOONDI LADOO RECIPE
As a kid growing up in India and in a joint family, we loved all festivals and celebrations. And sweets were a must for any festival. My mother and grandmother made all the sweets and savories by themselves. I never knew when they made them, but we had lots to eat during festivals. It was always a secret schedule I suppose.
Due to some very strict protocols which we followed in our family, we made all of our festivals offerings at home. All offerings are vegetarian and made with ghee.
Another reason was, it was cheaper to produce huge quantities at home with very high quality ingredients. We shared sweets with our extended family and friends circle. Above all, high quality ingredients were a priority in addition to the cost savings.
My paternal grandmother’s specialty was homemade ghee boondi ladoo. This was a hot favorite amongst us kids. She taught my mother as a new bride and my mother in turn passed on the recipe to me. I must say, I am quite proud to learn this recipe successfully and I make it for any big gatherings and festivals here in Switzerland.
TIPS TO MAKE HOMEMADE BOONDI LADOO RECIPE
These are some basic and important tips and recommendations for a perfect textured boondi ladoo recipe.
- The sugar syrup consistency is very important in boondi ladoo recipe. Ideally half string consistency is suitable for getting softer ladoos.
- Some cooks also do a 1 string syrup consistency.
- Keep the sugar syrup warm till you finish the process to prevent the sugar from crystalizing.
- Use pure ghee for making boondi ladoo. Homemade pure ghee adds extra flavor and moreover ghee can withstand high temperatures too. Hence, ghee is the ideal choice for deep frying.
- Use a cast iron wok for deep frying the boondi pearls because heat is distributed evenly in cast iron pots. You don’t want to overheat the oil or ghee you are using.
TOOLS NEEDED FOR MAKING HOMEMADE BOONDI LADOO RECIPE
Heavy bottom pot
MAIN INGREDIENTS FOR BOONDI LADOO
Chickpea Flour – Chickpea or Garbanzo bean flour is also known as Besan in Hindi is the main ingredient for this recipe. There are many uses for chickpea flour in your recipes.
Chickpea flour is gluten free and has a low glycemic index. The glycemic index of chickpea flour is 35 units, hence a popular diet food.
Chickpea flour is nutrient rich. Chickpea flour will supply your body with essential vitamins, minerals, vegetable protein, and amino acids. I prefer to use the organic variety in addition to the taste, it is also non GMO and chemical free.
Pure Ghee – Pure ghee is lactose free which is shelf-stable and requires no refrigeration. Therefore, ghee is my first choice for cooking. Moreover, I can make pure ghee by myself. Ghee is friendly to diets like Keto, Paleo, gluten free, Ayuvedic and Whole 30.
Sugar – Caster sugar is the best for ladoos. Since we make it only for special festivities a little indulgence is ok in my view. My attitude is eat healthy 90% of the time and leave room at least for some unhealthy indulgence once in a way. Its good for the enjoyment factor in life. Since, its not everyday we have special festivals, why make life complicated.
OTHER INGREDIENTS NEEDED FOR GHEE BOONDI LADOO
Baking soda
Water
Saffron a little
Cut cashewnuts 1 Tbl. spoon
Raisins 1 Tbl. spoon
Cloves a few
Cardamom Powder
METHOD
Scroll down for the recipe card and the accurate measurements.
HOMEMADE GHEE BOONDI LADOO RECIPE VIDEO
FOR MAKING BOONDIS
1. Mix gram flour, rice and soda together.
2. Add just enough water to make it into a paste.
3. Heat ghee in a cast iron wok.
4. Keep the boondi ladle on top of the ghee at about 20 cm distance and pour 1 big spoon of mixed batter on the boondi ladle. And tap gently with a spoon.
Small droplets of the dough forming pearls will fall into the ghee and gets fried.
5. When the boondis are half fried, strain them. The boondis should be soft.
6. Repeat till you fry all the boondis.
7. Fry the cut cashewnuts, raisins and cloves with a little ghee and set it aside.
FOR SUGAR SYRUP
- Mix Sugar and water together in a heavy bottom pot.
- Heat the sugar till it dissolves stirring it in between.
- Boil the sugar syrup till it reaches half string consistency. Stop stirring once this is achieved.
- Remove from heat and mix in saffron threads, cardamom powder, fried cloves, cashewnuts, raisins and the deep fried boondis.
- Set this aside till it becomes luke warm.
- Make the soaked boondis into medium sized ball when the mixture is still warm.
- Set the ladoos aside for a few minutes, and after the ladoos are set, squeeze them again to firm up.
- Store in air tight containers at room temperature.
NOTES
- The sugar syrup should be warm while adding in the fried boondhis.
- Add all the deep fried boondis all at once into the sugar syrup.
- Do not let the boondi and sugar syrup mixture cool completely, or else it will crystalize and you cannot form the balls.
- If the batter becomes too thick, add a little more water to get the right consistency for the boondis.
- NOTE In the above video, I am mixing the boondis straight into the sugar syrup. Actually, it is better to do it all at once in the end .
HOW TO STORE HOMEMADE BOONDI LADOOS
Store boondi ladoos in air tight containers. Refrigeration is not needed. The ladoos store well for a week in an air tight container.
CAN YOU FREEZE HOMEMADE BOONDI LADOOS ?
Yes, you can freeze them. Some of the Indian stores sell frozen ladoos. Thaw them before eating. I have frozen them only once. The taste is not the same though. Therefore, I don’t make a whole lot of it for freezing.
FOR MAKING BOONDIS FOR SUGAR SYRUP
Ingredients
Instructions
PIN IT FOR LATER
Your feedback is valuable
Thank you so much for visiting Vial Fair Living – we’re so happy you’re here! and thanks for taking the time to read this post. I would love it if you can share this recipe using the social media buttons you see next to the post and give this recipe a 5 Star rating.
