Laddoo and Boondi

Laddoo and Boondi for Dasara

Dasara, also called "Navaratri", is among the most important festivals celebrated in India. The Festival of Dasara is celebrated on the occasion of Navaratri. Celebrations are unique ranging from worshipping goddess Chamundeshwari (Durga) to exhibiting colorful toys on the day of ‘kolu’ in Tamil, 'bombe habba' in Kannada or 'Bommala Koluvu' in Telugu. In telangana region of Andhra Pradesh, people celebrate Bathukamma Panduga during Navaratri days. Dussehra is celebrated in various ways in different parts of South Asia. In Bengal, the festival is celebrated as Kali Puja or Durga Puja, while in Tamil Nadu, the festival incorporates worship of the goddesses Lakshmi, Saraswati, and Shakti. Some people feel that Dussehra and Dasara are not simply different transliterations of the same word, but two different festivals. Dasara is the festival marking end of Navratri and the immersion of Durga idols which are worshipped for nine days prior to Dussehra. Dussehra is also the day when many families start formal education of their kids. The Dasara celebrations in Mysore are popular with tourists, and are conducted with great pomp. Dasara is celebrated in Nepal by the name of Dashain.
In our childhood, my mother used to make laddoo and boondi and we love them a lot. Since I am staying abroad, I am missing my mother’s laddoo and boondi. So nowadays, I started making them on my own following my mother's recipe.

Laddoo and boondi for Dasara...

This is my entry for RCI Tamil Festivals hosted by http://vcuisine.blogspot.com

Laddoo

Ingredients for Making Laddoo:

Gram flour or besan-2 cups
Sugar-2 cups
Salt-a pinch
Cashew nuts-10
Raisins-10
Pacha karpooram-a pinch
Cardamom powder-1 teaspoon
Saffron-optional (I haven’t used)
Ghee-1 teaspoon
Oil for deep fry

Boondi for making laddoo...

Method:

1. Add salt to the gram flour and make thick batter using sufficient water.


2. Heat oil in a wok or kadai and make the boondi using the boondi making ladle (ladle with small holes). Do not over fry them and take out when they are still soft.


3. Boil the water and sugar in a heavy bottomed pan and make syrup with one string consistency.


4. Add pacha karpooram and cardamom powder to the syrup. Fry the cashew nuts and raisins with a teaspoon of ghee in a pan.

5. Mix the boondi, cashew nuts and raisins with the syrup and make round balls or laddoos. Allow them to dry and store in an air tight container.

Boondi

Ingredients for Making Boondi:

Gram flour or besan-1 ½ cups
Rice flour-1/2 cup
Baking soda or sodium bi carbonate-1 teaspoon
Salt-1 tablespoon
Dry chilly powder-1 tablespoon
Cumin or jeera powder-1 teaspoon
Garlic-3 pods (optional, I haven’t used)
Ground nuts-1 tablespoon
Fried gram dal-1 tablespoon
Curry leaves-few
Oil for deep fry

Method:

1. Sieve the besan and rice flours in a big bowl and add a pinch of salt and baking powder.


2. Mix the flour with sufficient water to make thick batter adding one spoon hot oil.


3. Heat oil in a wok and make boondi, using the boondi ladle and fry them until brown.


4. Heat one spoonful of oil in a pan and add the ground nuts, fried gram dal, curry leaves, chilli powder, cumin powder and the remaining salt.


5. Fry them for 1-2 minutes on low flame and turn of the stove. Add the boondi and mix well and store in an air tight container. Serve with the Laddoo...