Large Boondi Ladoo

Name: Large Boondi Ladoo
Total time: 1800 s
Yield: Makes 12 ladoos
Ingredients: 1 cup chickpea flour (besan) (about 120 grams); 1 1/2 cups sugar (about 300 grams); 1 pinch edible red food coloring; 2 pinches yellow food coloring; 1/4 teaspoon cardamom powder; 1/2 teaspoon melon seeds (magaz)

~Sushma Mishra Home Chef @sushmafoodandheart

Giridih Jharkhand

Ladoo holds a special place in Indian festivals and celebrations. No prayer, ritual, or wedding feels complete without them. Ladoo is also the favorite offering for Lord Ganesha, who is worshipped first in any religious ceremony. Ladoo symbolizes unity in diversity—many tiny boondis come together to form one sweet, and even if it breaks apart, it never loses its sweetness. Sharing ladoos is a way to express happiness in our culture. Today, for Raksha Bandhan, I made fresh, delicious, and hygienic ladoos for my brother. I’m sharing this recipe so you can make and enjoy them too.

~Sushma Mishra Home Chef @sushmafoodandheart

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Ingredients

30 minutes

Makes 12 ladoos

1 cupchickpea flour (besan) (about 120 grams)
1 1/2 cupssugar (about 300 grams)
1 pinchedible red food coloring
2 pinchesyellow food coloring
1/4 teaspooncardamom powder
1/2 teaspoonmelon seeds (magaz)

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Steps

30 minutes

1

To make the ladoos, place the chickpea flour in a bowl and mix with water to make a smooth, lump-free batter. The batter should be thin enough to drip easily through a slotted spoon.
2

Take 2 tablespoons of the batter in a separate bowl and mix in the red food coloring. Add the yellow food coloring to the remaining batter and mix well.
3

In a pot, combine the sugar and water, stir, and bring to a boil to make a syrup. Once the syrup is ready, turn off the heat and stir in the cardamom powder. Heat ghee in a deep pan. Pour the batter over a slotted spoon so it drops into the hot ghee, forming small round boondis. Fry until crisp and remove. I used a slotted spoon with large holes. Always fry boondi on high heat, and after each batch, wash and wipe the spoon before using again. This helps the boondi stay round. First, fry the red-colored boondi, then the yellow.
4

Soak both types of boondi in the warm sugar syrup for 2 hours so they absorb the syrup and become soft. Gently crush some of the boondi by hand, mix in the melon seeds, and shape the mixture into ladoos of your desired size by pressing with your hands. Place the ladoos on parchment paper and serve.