MOTICHUR KE LADDU

INGREDIENTS

for the syrup:
1 cup sugar
½ cup water
a generous pinch of saffron powder or
crushed saffron
for preparing the boondi:
1 cup besan/gram flour
a generous pinch of saffron powder/kesar or
crushed saffron
¾ cup water
2 to 3 black cardamoms/badi elaichi, seeds
removed and the skins discarded
½ tbsp magaz/melon seeds
oil for deep frying
a bit of oil or ghee for applying on the
palms while shaping the ladoos

METHOD

preparing the sugar syrup:
1. dissolve sugar, saffron threads and water
in a pan and keep it on the stove top.
2. cook the sugar solution till it reaches one
thread consistency (check step 3 pic to see
photo showing one thread consistency)
and then switch off the flame. keep the
sugar solution aside.)
preparing the boondi:
1. make a smooth flowing batter of the gram
flour/besan, crushed saffron and water. the
batter should neither be thick nor thin. it
should be a flowing batter without any
lumps. the amount of water to be added
depends on the quality of the the gram
flour. so you can add more or less than
what is mentioned in the recipe.
2. heat oil for deep frying in a kadai or pan.
the oil has to be moderately hot. take a
perforated ladle/spoon. with your hands
position the ladle above the oil. you will
need one more large ladle/jhara to remove
the fried boondis.
3. take a large spoon of the besan batter and
pour it on perforated ladle/spoon. press
with the other spoon so that the batter
falls down from the perforations into the
hot oil.
4. fry the boondi (gram flour balls) till they
become golden. don't over fry or make
them crisp. when the oil stops sizzling,
remove the boondis. about 45 seconds to 1
minute is enough to get the correct texture
in the boondi.
5. this step is important because if boondi
becomes crisp then motichoor ladoos
won't be soft and they won't be able to
absorb the sugar syrup.
6. for collecting the fried boondi use a large
slotted spoon/jhara. drain the oil very well
after removing the boondi and then add
them directly to the sugar syrup. also note
that the sugar syrup should be hot.
7. if the sugar syrup is not hot, then just heat
it. in case, the sugar syrup crystallizes,
then reheat again. no need to bother about
the tailed boondis as we will be pulsing
them in the blender later.
8. make all the boondis like this and keep on
adding them immediately to the sugar
syrup. stir and mix well. the boondis
should get softened in the sugar syrup.
9. in a blender or mixer add the boondi and
the sugar syrup. add 1 tbsp of hot water
and pulse the boondi mixture for a few
times to get a smaller shape.
10. don't pulse too much otherwise you won't
be able to shape the motichoor ladoos. the
amount of water to be added depends on
the texture of the boondis.
11. if the boondis are a bit crisp, then add 1 or
2 tbsp more of the hot water. the boondis
absorb the hot water and remain soft and
moist.
12. add the magaz/melon seeds and black
cardamom seeds. mix well.
13. apply some oil or ghee on your palms and
shape the motichoor ladoos. the mixture
would be warm when preparing the ladoos.
on cooling they become firm.
14. you can garnish the motichoor ladoos with
melon seeds/magaz or raisins. these
motichoor ladoos can also be refrigerated
since they are not made from ghee. if you
fry them in ghee then the ghee will solidify
on refrigeration.