MOTICHOOR LADDU

    Though i don't have a sweet tooth, these gorgeous sweets are my favourite. In spite of being originated in the northern India, it has traveled all the way down to south to occupy a special place in many's hearts. I just love the glimpse of them locked up in glass shelves in sweet stores so unassuming!!

   I wanted to try them on my own during my last diwali and my search took me to my mom in law. She is a laddu expert i must say! I've penned down her tips as well. I made them last week on Janmashtami, which made me to write here.

 Motichoor, as the name suggests, is made of tiny boondis and is collapsible (source- vegrecipesofindia, Got a few many tips from Dassana's post too!!).
 The boondis are usually prepared using plain gram dal flour (besan/ kadala maavu) and then immersed in hot sugar syrup which are then shaped into these orange balls. I've given this recipe a dose of cashews that lends a nutty crunch to your taste buds. 

  This is a simple and easy recipe. All that we need to take care is about the measurements and is also a bit time consuming, but its worth it!!

MOTICHOOR LADDU RECIPE

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE SUGAR SYRUP

Sugar - 1 cup 

Water- 1/2 cup

Orange food colour - a pinch

FOR THE BOONDIS

Gram flour ( Besan/ Kadala maavu) - 1 cup 

Water - 1/2 cup 

Saffron - a pinch

Orange food colour - a generous pinch 

Oil / Ghee for deep frying.

FOR THE FINAL LADDUS

Cashewnuts (diced) - 2 tablespoons

Cardamom / Elaichi ( Shelled) - 2 to 3 pods

Ghee - For shaping laddus

METHOD

1. Make a runny batter out of gram flour and water. Add the food colour and the saffron strands. Beat them up together without any lumps (can even give it a whip in mixie). Keep it aside.

2. Prepare the sugar syrup by melting a cup of sugar in 1/2 a cup of water. Add the food colour once it has started to boil. Remove the scum that comes to the top.

3.Allow it to boil until it reaches one thread consistency. A drop of syrup, when held between thumb and fore finger and if we try to separate the fingers, it should form a thread.

4. Now heat oil or ghee in a skillet. You would need 2 jharas (slotted spoons), a laddle, some kitchen tissues, a damp cloth and a wide bowl for collecting boondis. 

5. Pour a laddleful of boondi batter over the slotted spoon held over the hot oil. Press the batter over the jhara with the laddle so that the batter falls into the hot oil.

6. Keep the oil in medium- high heat so that the boondis are neither crispy nor under-cooked. Collect the fried boondis with a fresh jhara over a kitchen tissue to strain the extra oil.

7. Hold the slotted spoon a bit higher for fine boondis. For each batch, clean the slotted spoon with the damp cloth for avoiding tailed boondis. But, don't worry too much on this, it can be corrected by whipping them in a mixie jar later. Repeat the process for the rest of the batter.

8. Now, add the boondis to the sugar syrup and give it a whip in a mixie jar with a tablespoon of hot water. This is to eliminate the tailed boondis. Don't whip too much else it 'll be difficult to shape the laddus.

9. Dry roast all the chopped cashewnuts. Add these nuts and the shelled cardamom (discard the outer covering) to the boondis.

10. By now, the boondis would have cooled, so heat them on a skillet for about a minute and switch off. 

11. Apply a thin coat of ghee over your palm and start shaping the laddus.

12. Shape all the laddus and pack them in a air tight container. Keep them refrigerated.

TIPS

1. The batter should be neiher thick nor too runny.

2. Don't fry the boondis till they are crisp. The sugar syrup won't get imbibed.

3. Try to keep the sugar syrup hot when adding boondis. This helps in good absorption. 

4. Shape the laddus when the boondis are hot.

5. Nuts can be substituted with various things like melon seeds, nuts n raisins, plain raisins or even rock candy (kalkandu/mishri).

The pic shows how good i'm in shaping them.. But they tasted awesome..