Sweet Boondi
Sep 17, 2019, Updated Apr 06, 2020
Tiny sweet balls made of besan (gram flour) are often offered as prasad (offering) in temples in India! Learn how to make round sweet boondi at home with this step by step recipe!
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Festivities in India are incomplete without sweet boondi!
These tiny sweet round balls are made of besan and dipped in sugar syrup. They are often offered as prasad (offering) in temples in India.
I couldn’t wait any longer to share my Diwali recipe with you guys!
Well, the fact is that I have so many lined up that I have to start sharing now else I won’t be able to share all of them.
Hope it’s not too early?
Well, it’s never too early for sweets right?
Do you guys love boondi? I have very fond memories associate with this sweet.
My dad used to go to temples on Tuesdays religiously and the main prasad that was offered to Lord Hanuman (Tuesday is his day!) was boondi.
So every Tuesday he would bring sweet boondis while returning back home and I would be so excited to feast on those sweet boondi immediately!
What is Boondi?
Boondi are small tiny round balls made of besan (gram flour).
The batter, which is made of besan is passed through a ladle with holes.
As the batter drops through the ladle into the hot oil, it forms round shape.
The size of the boondi will depend of the size of the holes in the ladle.
I have used a ladle with medium sized holes, for bigger boondis use a ladle with bigger holes.
The boondi are fried and then taken out of hot oil and then dipped in sugar syrup.
The process isn’t difficult at all, but you may face difficulties in getting round shape of boondi.
When I first made them, all my boondis had weird shape.
Some were round while other were elongated with tails and also clumped together.
So, here’s how to make sure that your boondi turn round!
How to Make Round Boondi
Make a free flowing thin batter: okay so I have seen recipes which call for thick batter but in my experience, free flowing thin batter works best in making round boondi.
Batter should drop into oil on its own: the batter should be thin enough to drop into the hot oil on its own.
Don’t use a spoon/ladle to spread the batter: let the batter drop on it’s own and don’t use a spoon or another ladle to spread the batter.
Drop from height of 3-4 inches from oil: if you hold the ladle very high and then drop the batter, the boondis will be flat. So keep your ladle only few inches away from the kadai (wok) with oil.
Clean the ladle after frying every single batch of boondi: once you have fried a batch, remove the boondi from oil and then clean your ladle (or jara as well it in hindi) with water or wipe it with moist cloth.
Don’t add more batter before cleaning the ladle else next batch boondi won’t be round.
Move the ladle as you pour the batter else boondi will all clump up together: pour batter from one hand and keep moving the ladle with another. Yeah it takes some practice to get a hang of it.
This recipe make soft sweet boondi, this is the type I like.
If you want a nice crispy coating of sugar on your boondi, then just cook the sugar until it reaches 1 string consistency (which will be cooking for around 6 to 7 minutes after the sugar dissolves).
Then add the boondi and stir. The syrup will dry out and coat the boondis. I prefer this version and so I don’t cook the sugar syrup to any consistency, just until it’s sticky.
Method
1- Sift besan into a large bowl.
2- Add pinch of baking soda and 1/2 cup + 3 tablespoons water and mix to form a free flowing batter.
3- Let the batter rest for 15 minutes and then remaining 1 tablespoon water.
4- Heat oil or ghee in a kadai/wok on medium-high heat. I used a mix of oil and ghee to fry boondi.
Place the ladle 3 to 4 inches above the surface of oil (not very high else boondi will have tail). Once oil is hot, pour batter into the ladle, do not spread by spoon. Let it fall on its own.
5- Move the ladle around the kadai as the batter falls, so that boondis don’t clump together and spread well.
6- Fry for 30 to 40 seconds, do not over cook. Remove the boondi immediately from hot oil.
7- For the next batch, wash your ladle and wipe it dry. Then repeat the same process. If you don’t wipe the ladle after each batch, boondi won’t be round.
Fry in batches until the batter is over. Keep all the fried boondi on a plate.
8- To make the sugar syrup, heat 1 cup sugar (200 grams) with 3/4 cup water (6 oz/180 ml) on medium heat. Add food color if using.
9- Let the sugar dissolve. Then let it boil for 3 minutes ( not cooking for any string consistency here). Add the cardamom powder.
10- And also add whole cloves.
11- Turn off the heat and add the fried boondi. Mix well.
12- Cover the pan and let the boondi sit in the pan until it soaks all the sugar syrup (chasni).
Stir the boondi every 1 hour or so. Let sit overnight.
Sweet boondi is ready to serve!
If you’ve tried this Sweet Boondi Recipe then don’t forget to rate the recipe! You can also follow me on Facebook and Instagram to see what’s latest in my kitchen!
Sweet Boondi
Ingredients
- 1 cup besan 120 grams, gram flour
- pinch baking soda
- 1/2 cup + 4 tablespoons water divided
- oil for frying
For sugar syrup
- 1 cup sugar 200 grams
- 3/4 cup water 6 oz/180 ml
- orange food color optional
- 1/4 teaspoon cardamom powder
- 2 whole cloves
Instructions
- Sift besan into a large bowl. Add pinch of baking soda and 1/2 cup + 3 tablespoons water and mix to form a free flowing batter.
- Let the batter rest for 15 minutes and then remaining 1 tablespoon water and mix. The batter is now ready.
- Heat oil or ghee in a kadai/wok on medium-high heat. I used a mix of oil and ghee to fry boondi.
- Place the ladle 3 to 4 inches above the surface of oil (not very high else boondi will have tail). Once oil is hot, pour batter into the ladle, do not spread by spoon. Let it fall on its own.
- Move the ladle around the kadai as the batter falls, so that boondis don't clump together and spread well.
- Fry for 30 to 40 seconds, do not over cook. Remove the boondi immediately from hot oil.
- For the next batch, wash your ladle and wipe it dry. Then repeat the same process. If you don't wipe the ladle after each batch, boondi won't be round.Fry in batches until the batter is over. Keep all the fried boondi on a plate.
- To make the sugar syrup, heat 1 cup sugar (200 grams) with 3/4 cup water (6 oz/180 ml) on medium heat.Add food color if using (optional).
- Let the sugar dissolve. Then let it boil for 3 minutes (not cooking for any string consistency here). Add the cardamom powder and also add whole cloves.
- Turn off the heat and add the fried boondi. Mix well.
- Cover the pan and let the boondi sit in the pan until it soaks all the sugar syrup (chasni). Stir the boondi every 1 hour or so. Let sit overnight.
- Sweet boondi is ready to serve!
Notes
- Use a ladle with larger holes if you want bigger boondis.
- For a crispy sugar coating, cook the sugar syrup until it reaches one string consistency and then add the fried boondi to it.Â
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This recipe you have copied from Neha Cook book from YouTube channel every measurement and explanation is same.
Hmm I had never heard of her channel before but went and checked out her recipe after your comment. Her video was posted on April 14th, 2020. my recipe was posted on September 17th, 2019. So you mean I copied her 7 months before she posted her video? Please check your facts before making allegations. Thank you! I have been blogging for 10 years and have always stayed honest to my job, my readers know that well 🙂
Tried this recipe.Taste very good . Thank you
good to know!
Hi Manali, boondi comes out wonderful. Tried your recipe so many times. Loved it each time. Thank you.
Welcome Manisha 🙂
I tried making boondi with proportion you gave . Came perfect . Living outside India we get only Haldirams here and not the real tadka kara boondi we get in India which I used to love to eat . Thank you
I tried it but my boo di got very soggy. Where did I go wrong?
looks like the syrup was too much, try reducing it next time.
Very good recipe. Perfect result.
Hi Manali,
Perfect recipe as usual. Just wanted to check how long can we store it and how do we store it?
store at room temperature for 3-5 days
Hi,
Looks so good. Want to try it as my kids love boondi. Where to get the ladle for boondi because yours look different?
I got it from India, you can use any ladle that you have.
What should be the amount of sugar and water for chashni?
1 cup sugar and 3/4 cup water, mentioned in the recipe
I accidentally did 1c water 3/4 c sugar — can I go back and add a thicker syrup now? It’s soaking.
hope it still turned out okay!
Hi Manali, want to try this. Which oil do you use to fry the boondi?? Vegetable oil doesn’t seem right ? so wanted to be sure.
avocado oil. You can use any oil, just make sure it’s flavorless else the boondi will soak the flavor of the oil. So canola, avocado will work well. Add some ghee to the oil while frying. You can also fry in 100% ghee.