ಬೂಂದಿ ಲಾಡು/Bhoondi Laddu

Happy navratri to one and all! hope all of you all enjoyed celebrating feasts. It was long since I made laddus so thought of making Bhoondi laddu which I learnt the very first time correctly last year during deepavali. It turned out to be a quite easy at firs try. This is one of the most loved laddus by my kids. The only one thing about this dish is it takes a lot of oil while frying and shaping into laddus when hot .

I am sending this for RCI hosted by viji from Vcuisine, JFI hosted by Vee from PastPresentandMe and Think Spice hosted by Sunita from Sunitas’sWorld. Though I wanted to post for each of these events I couldnot make it this time, finally i came out with bhoondi which goes ideally for all these events.

All you need
Bhoondis
Gram flour - 1.5 cup
rice flour/corn flour - 1 tbsp
Soda Bicarbonate - 1/8 tsp
Bhoondi stirer and fryer you can find it here
Oil for deep frying

Sugar solution
sugar coarse - 1.5 cups
saffron strands - 10-15
cardamom powder/clove - 4 -5
water - 1/2 cup
cashews/raisins/badams  of choice

Method

• Make a thick paste of gram flour + rice/corn flour +soda with water
• The consistency should be thicker than dosa batter but thinner than iddli batter
• Take another vessel add sugar water and saffron let it soak meanwhile you prepare the bhoondis
• Heat oil for deep frying boondis
• Keep the bhoondis stirer at a distance from the hot oil, pour a laddle of besan and stir quickly to the hot oil. Must be done fast
• Fry the bhoodis and strain well 
• Heat the sugar soln while you are just left with the last  2 rounds of bhoondis
• The soln should reach the consistency of strings/1 string
• Remove from heat, add in raisins/cashews/cardamom powder and mix well
• Add the bhoondis and stir well close for just 2 minutes
• Shape them into laddus while still hot.
• This can be stored in airtight jars for  2-3 weeks

Note:If you are unable to shape them and feel very liquid after adding bhoondis keep on low fire for sometime until it comes to the consistency to shape into laddus.
For first time check the consistency of the batter is right for the bhoondis. The bhoondis should come out round must not be elongated nor flat with holes. Add little water if it is soft and thick and make it faster if it falls elongated.

Kesari bhath

Last weekend i had a few guests coming over. The thought of making sweet always makes me to think what to make??. I decided to make a simple dinner. Finally decision ended up making kesari bhath. Until now i had never prepared kesari bath for any guest visit, the thought of using so much ghee and sugar always would take me off. But after all this makes it very authentic so … here goes…

 

1 cup sona masuri rice

2 cups sugar

10-15 strands saffron

a pinch of salt

1 cup ghee

Cashew nuts -10

Raisin -10

2 tsp lemon juice

Boil rice in pressure cooker using 1:2 rice to water. Make sure the rice is soft. Transfer rice to a heavy bottom vessel. Add 1/2 glass water with ghee, saffron, salt and stir until the ghee stats floating and the rice should have a texture of nearing porridge but the rice must not smashed. Now add sugar let it start to boil and leave ghee floating switch off fire. Add 2 tsp of lemon juice and mix well. Garnish with fried raisin and cashenuts

This is more tasty when it fully cools with the fragrance of saffron and ghee.