How to make soft, shop-style boondi laddoos at home this Diwali

It is rare for Diwali to come without talk of sweets, and boondi laddoo is a favourite among them. Laddoos bought from a shop taste good, but those made at home taste different. Made at home, how sweet they are is in your own hands. They also cost less and make more laddoos. Making sweets at home on a festival day is its own pleasure. Here is how to make soft, juicy boondi laddoos like those from a shop.

For the boondi, you will need 2 cups of gram flour (besan), a pinch of orange food colour, water as required, a quarter teaspoon of baking soda and oil for frying. For the sugar syrup, you will need one and a half cups of sugar, one cup of water, a quarter teaspoon of orange colour, half a teaspoon of cardamom powder, one teaspoon of lemon juice and 2 teaspoons of pistachios.

First, take 2 cups of gram flour in a large vessel. Add a pinch of orange colour and mix in water a little at a time to make a batter. Make sure there are no lumps in the batter.

The consistency of the batter matters a great deal. If it is too thick, the boondi grows tails, and if it is too thin, the boondi turns out flat. Keep the batter at a medium thickness. Once it is ready, add a quarter teaspoon of baking soda at the end and mix gently.

Now heat oil in a wok (kadhai). Once the oil is well heated, hold a perforated ladle over it, pour in a little batter and let it drip slowly into the hot oil. The batter should fall drop by drop through the ladle, which is what makes round boondi. Do not add too much boondi at once, or it will stick together. When the boondi turns crisp, take it out and place it on kitchen paper so that excess oil drains off.

Now make the syrup. Put one and a half cups of sugar and one cup of water in a pan and let it boil for 2 minutes. The syrup should not be sticky; keep it thin. Once it is ready, turn off the gas. Mix the orange colour, one teaspoon of lemon juice and half a teaspoon of cardamom powder into the hot syrup. Remember that adding lemon juice keeps lumps from forming in the syrup.

Now it is time to shape the laddoos. Add the fried boondi, chopped pistachios and cashews to the prepared syrup and mix everything well. The syrup should coat every piece of boondi.

Start shaping the laddoos when the mixture has cooled to lukewarm. If it is too hot, it will burn your hands, and if it gets too cold, the laddoos will not hold together. So shape the laddoos gently while the mixture is lukewarm.

That is it: shop-style boondi laddoos are ready. Kept in the fridge, they last 7 days comfortably. If guests come during Diwali, take them out and serve them right away. Do try making these laddoos at home this Diwali. The family will like them very much.