Ingredients:

• For boondi:
• 2.5 cups – gram flour (besan)
• 500 ml – whole Milk
• 3 cups – Ghee for deep frying
• 1/4 cup – dry fruits, finely chopped
• For Sugar syrup:
• 2.5 cups – Sugar
• 2 tbsp – whole Milk
• 1/2 tsp – Cardamom powder
• A few drops of Saffron essence
• 3.5 cups – water

Method:

1. For making the sugar syrup:
2. Bring the sugar and water to a boil in a deep vessel.
3. Once the sugar dissolves, add in the milk.
4. Boil for 5 mins or until scum forms on top.
5. Strain it and return to stove.
6. Add saffron essence and boil until sticky.
7. Add in the cardamom powder and mix well. Then set aside.
8. For making the boondi:
9. Mix the flour and milk together to form a smooth batter.
10. Heat the clarified butter in a heavy frying pan.
11. Hold the boondi-strainer over the frying pan with one hand.
12. With the other hand, pour some batter all over the holes.
13. Tap gently until all of the batter has fallen into the hot clarified butter.
14. Stir and remove once light golden in colour.
15. Set aside on a paper towel, and repeat the process with the remaining batter.
16. For making the laddoos:
17. Partly crush 1/4th the fried boondi with hands.
18. Immerse all the fried boondi in the syrup.
19. Drain any excess syrup and spread on a large plate.
20. Add the chopped dry fruits to this mixture.
21. Sprinkle about 2 tsp of hot water over it.
22. Cover and set aside for 5-10 mins so the boondi soaks up the syrup and it becomes soft.
23. Once it gets sticky and cool enough to handle, take a small portion of the boondi mixture, and shape into small round balls with moist palms.
24. Do the same for all the laddoos.
25. Arrange on a plate and keep open to dry so the laddoos solidify.
26. One hard enough, you can store in an airtight container and keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Recipe courtesy of Mansi Desai