By Shweta Jindal
Nov 5, 2015 4 min read

Motichoor Laddoo

Since a long time I was thinking of making them, but something or the other stopped me and they get postponed and postponed. Finally I overcome all my fears and came up with this result.

Being engrossed in the Diwali season, all of you might be busy with preparations!! This is one sweet which has been my favourite since childhood. We used to wait anxiously for the independence and republic days only to get this sweet in the offering after flag hosting and singing National Anthem.

Quite contrary to the general belief that this is a tough recipe, after making them you would realize that it actually needs no techniques or expertise. Since they have a good shelf life as compared to other sweets , they could be stored in air-tight containers on the shelf for 2 weeks or in refrigerator for a month.

INGREDIENTS:
1. Chickpea Flour( Regular Besan) – 2 cups
2. Water – 2 and ¹⁄₄ cups
3. Yellow and Red food color – 6+2 drops (optional)
4. Sugar(white granulated) – 3 cups
5. Water – 1.5 cups (for syrup)
6. Lemon juice – 2 tsp
7. Melon seeds (Kharbuje ki giri) – 2 tbsp
6. Cardamom powder (Elaichi) – 2 tsp (optional)
7. Pistachios sliced (pista) – 1 tbsp for garnishing (optional)
8. Cooking oil – 2 cups (for deep frying)
9. Jhara( Chhalni for making Boondis ) – home-made
10. Clarified butter (ghee) – 2 tsp for greasing hands

METHOD:
| Preparation time : 5 mins | Cooking time : 1 hr | Makes about 30 med size laddoos |

Prepare a Jhara at home with a sterilized needle or board pin and a Foil plate or a thick aluminium foil roll. For this, if you have a thick aluminium foil ,cut a ¹⁄₂ m roll and then fold it twice in 4 layers. Then bend the foil along the edges upwards to form a square jhara shape katori (bowl). Now again unfold the edges , and make holes with the board pin at ¹⁄₂ cm gap all over. I have used a foil tray I had for making jhara. The advantage of making this is the holes are funnel shaped at the back and the boondis we get are perfect round mini shape .
Now prepare the batter by adding water little by little to the besan while stirring with a whisk or spoon. Add the yellow and red or just orange color too now. Prepare a very thin flowing batter which could pass the tiny holes easily. Just break all the lumps in the batter and don’t whisk too hard or the boondis get aerated because of air trapped in the batter.
Heat some oil in a wok(kadhai) at medium heat.
Check the oil by dropping one drop of batter in it. If it comes up instantly and with a sizzle, it is ready.
Now with one hand take the Jhara and add a ladle full(approx. 3 tbsp) of batter in the center with the other.
Then move the Jhara up and down in a constant motion to enable all the batter to fall in the oil to form boondis.
Fry them for 30-35 sec till they get crispy. Then use a strainer to sieve them through the oil and invert them again on a strainer kept on a bowl. This helps dripping the extra oil in the bowl.You may line the bowl with a paper towel too. You will notice the fried ones swim to the edges of the wok.
Similarly use all the batter to make boondis and keep them piling in the large colander or strainer.
When all the boondis are done, mix sugar and water in a pan.
Heat this pan on high till it starts boiling. Add lemon juice or Cream of tartar or citric acid to prevent crystallization of syrup later on. Also add the cardamom powder in it.
Check for the 1 thread consistency by dropping a drop of syrup in bowl and then checking with the fingers.
Turn off the heat as soon as it reaches this consistency. It takes 5-8 mins with the granulated white sugar.
Pour the hot syrup on the boondis in a paraat (tureen) or a large bowl.
Add the melon seeds too and mix everything together till all the syrup is absorbed by the boondis.
It cools down fast, so you can start making the laddoos after the syrup is absorbed.
Grease your hands with ghee(clarified butter) and pick some portion of the soaked boondis and bind them together tightly to form a laddoo. Rotate and revolve it in hands to shape them in a spherical shape.
Garnish them with sliced pistachios and serve.