Sunday, 29 November 2015

Sugar Free Dessert Challenge

south indian ladoo (kadalamavu ladoo)

for the sugar syrup:

for the boondi batter:

1.5 cups besan/gram flour
1 cup + 1 tbsp water or add as required (the amount of water to be added depends on the quality of besan/gram flour)
6 cardamoms crushed to powder in a mortar-pestle, about ½ tsp cardamom powder
2 black cardamoms, seeds kept and the husks discarded
a pinch of edible camphor (optional)
¾ tbsp ghee to be added or ghee for applying on your palms for shaping the ladoos
oil for deep frying the boondis

preparing the sugar syrup:

mix sugarfree nature as it is good for making caramel or syrup and water in a pan. keep the sugar solution on stove top on a low heat.
cook the sugar syrup, till you get a one thread consistency. switch off the flame. keep the sugar solution aside.
the sugar syrup should be hot when you add the boondis. so you can keep the sugar solution on a hot water bath. meaning place the pan on a plate or tray filled with hot water. you can fry the boondis and prepare the sugar solution side by side. thats what i did.

preparing the boondis:

take all the dry ingredients for the boondi batter in a mixing bowl - besan/gram flour

add water to make a smooth batter. the consistency of the batter is important. we will check if the consistency is right, by frying a few boondis.

tap the wired whisk or the handle of a spoon which has a bit of batter in to the hot oil. the boondis should have a round shape.

if they become flat, the batter is thin and if they get tail ends, the batter is thick. if thin, then add a bit of gram flour and check by frying a few boondis. if thick, then add a bit of water and then do the same test. once you get the correct consistency, proceed with the next step of frying the boondis.

take a dry perforated ladle and place it above the hot oil. don't keep too much on a height, as the batter droplets, when falling from a height, do not give a round shape.
with a spoon add some batter on the perforated spoon ladle.
spread the batter lightly with a spoon. finish up the batter on the perforated spoon ladle this way.
fry the boondis till they are cooked. don't make them crisp or over do the frying. when the oil stops sizzling, remove the boondis.

this step is also important because if boondis becomes crisp then the boondi ladoos won’t be soft and they won’t be able to absorb the sugar syrup.after each batch, wipe the perforated ladle with a clean piece of kitchen towel from both sides.
strain them well with a slotted spoon and then add them directly to the hot sugar syrup. fry all the boondis with the above method and then add them to the sugar syrup.
finally add cardamom powder, black cardamon seeds, ghee and a pinch of edible camphor (optional). ghee helps in binding the boondi ladoos. i added about 1 tbsp of ghee later.
mix well and shape the boondi mixture into ladoo.