Boondi Laddoo

Ingredients Needed To Prepare Laddoo 
1. Gram Flour (Besan) – 300 grams (This should be slightly coarse) 2. Milk – ½ Litre 3. Sugar – 300 grams 4. Cardamom Powder- A pinch 5. Water – 500 ml 6. Saffron – A pinch 7. Food Color – Orange (This is optional) 8. Oil For Deep Frying. 

 An important tool needed to prepare Boondi is a strainer. The fineness of the holes in the strainer gives the desired shape of the boondi. There is no specific size that it is needed. It is totally dependant how you would like it. Its size and shape doesn’t affect the taste of the Laddoo.

How To Prepare Boondi LaddooAdd sugar to the water and start boiling it for the next 3-4 minutes.The scum of the sugar will be floating on the top. Remove the layer of scum. Continue boiling till it thickens. Add the cardamom powder to it and keep it aside. Mix the gram flour with milk and make it into a smooth paste without any lumps.

Heat sufficient amount of oil in a deep frying pan and heat the oil.Pass the gram flour batter through the strainer. Tap the strainer so that the flow is even and smooth. The oil should be very hot so that the frying is done rapidly. When the color turns golden brown take it out. Complete doing this till all the batter is over. Next dip the boondis in the sugar syrup that was previously prepared. After soaking them for few minutes, spread them on a plate evenly. Sprinkle hot water over this mixture and cover it with a cloth and leave it for 10 minutes.

Moisten your palms with water and roll this mixture into small balls. The size can be rolled as per your choice but make sure that all the balls are of equal shape and size.

There is another sweet that is commonly offered to Lord Ganesh is Peda. This again has plenty of varieties like Kesar Peda, Mawa/Khoya Peda, Apple Peda, Malai Peda (Malai- Cream) and many more. The basic way of preparing it is with Mawa/Khoya. To this, various flavorings are added to create varieties.

Laddoo Recipes

Image courtesy: © Thinkstock photos/ Getty Images

The Diwali sweet menu is just not complete without laddoos, is it? Well, this year instead of just the usual besan and boondi laddoos, try out some new recipes. I got my mom to reveal three of her favourite Diwali laddoo recipes to sweeten your Diwali celebrations. 

Besan Laddoo Recipe

Ingredients 
500 gms besan
1 kg powdered sugar; 
250 gms ghee 
10 gms cardamoms.

Method
1) Heat ghee. Add gram flour and fry. Remove pan from fire. Cool. 
2) Add powdered sugar. Mix well. Add crushed cardamoms. 
3) Form into even-shaped balls. 
4) Sticky sugar syrup can be prepared and the fried gram flour can be added to it and then prepared into balls, if desired.

Muesli Laddoo Recipe
 
Ingredients 
2 cups muesli
3/4 cup wheat flour
3/4 cup powdered sugar 
150 gms peanut butter 
8 to 10 chopped dates

Method 
1) Roast the muesli lightly so that it gets warm. Also roast the wheat flour. 
2) Mix together muesli, wheat flour, powdered sugar and chopped dates. 
3) Now add the peanut butter little by little and make into laddoos. It helps to make the laddoos when the mixture is warm. Cool it and store.  
Tip: This makes a excellent mithai for people who are restricted from having high calorie ghee. (Peanut butter is a healthier substitute for ghee.)

Cheesy Laddoo Recipe

Ingredients
½ cup paneer
½ cup khoya (or fine ricotta cheese) 
3 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla or cardamom powder
Chopped nuts for decoration

Method
1) Knead the paneer very well so that no lumps are left. 
2) Next sieve the khoya and mix it with paneer. 
3) Add sugar, vanilla or cardamom, and mix very well. 
4) Make small laddoo and decorate with chopped nuts. Keep in refrigerator until ready to offer.

Image and Recipe Credit: Idiva.com