Boondi Laddu

Boondi Laddu~ For JFI – Festivals (Deepavali) & Festive Food: Diwali events.

Deepavali in the Tamil Nadu is celebrated in the month of Aipasi around October or November. The preparations for the Deepavali Festival begin the week before.
For Deepavali Festival, the house is washed and decorated with kolam, in the poojai room, betel leaves, betel nuts, plantain fruits, flowers, kumkum, gingelly oil along with crackers and new dresses.
The morning begins with everyone in the family taking an oil bath before sunrise, before the bath, elders in the house apply gingelly oil on the heads of the younger members.
Often sweets are eaten after wearing new clothes. In almost all houses, items like ukkarai, velli appam, idly, chutney, sambhar, are prepared. Crackers are usually burst only after the bath.
Having said a little about Deepavli, my memories as a kid are eating sweets and bursting crackers, and who can forget vishnu chakram, flowerpot, mathaappu, vedigundu, snake(I do not know if that is the name to it.), the toy gun. Distributing palagaram ( sweets and snacks) to family and friends around, in the process displaying our new dress and the matching jewellery was another fun during Deepavali.
When I moved to Chennai after marriage, I had the opportunity to learn the Boondi Laddu recipe from Athai (mother-In-Law). I make Laddu for every Deepavali in Seattle since it is my husband’s favorite and my daughter joined him this year.
I have given the exact same recipe from Athai. Let me know your experiences. Her recipe has not disappointed me all these years.

List of ingredients:

Set 1

1. 2 cups gram flour/besan
2. 2 cups sugar
3. oil for deep frying the Boondis
4. 1/4 teaspoon saffron

Set 2

1. 2 tablespoons chopped cashewnuts
2. 1 tablespoon raisins/dry grapes
3. 1 teaspoon cloves
4. 1/2 teaspoon powdered cardamon
5. 2 tablespoons chopped almonds/badam (optional)
6. 2 tablespoons chopped pista ( optional )

Cooking procedure

1. Mix gram flour with just enough water to make a thick batter ( like dosai batter ). Add the saffron .

2. Heat clarified butter (ghee)or Oil.
3. Through a Boondi karandi/sieve ( as shown in pic), gently place batter drops into the hot oil. Fry till golden yellow and drain out. They should be 3/4 th done.

4. Continue till all the batter is used. Reserve the fried drops as boondis.

5. Heat sugar with 3/4 cup water and make a sticky syrup of one-thread consistency.
6. Fry the ingredients in Set 2 in little ghee.
7. Add fried boondis, fried ingredients in Set 2 and cardamom powder and mix well.
8. While still warm, shape the syrup-coated boondis into round laddus, and leave till dry.Store in airtight containers

Tips: One cup makes about ten laddus. Store in refrigerator for longer shelf life. Boondis should not be fried completely, then they will turn crisp. They should be 3/4 fried to absorb the sugar syrup.

Deepavali Snacks:

• Murukku
• Vadai
• Carrot Halwa
• Kesari