Motichur Laddu

Ingredients

The following are the ingredients needed to prepare Motichur Laddu,

• Gram flour - 1 cup
• Sugar - ¾ cup
• Water as required
• Ghee for deep frying (alternatively, oil can also be used)

Optional ingredients:

• Orange food color - ½ teaspoon
• Liquid glucose or lemon juice - ½ teaspoon (for best results)
• Nuts of your choice - 2 tablespoons (for laddus or for garnishing)

Preparation Steps

For preparing batter:

1. In a mixing bowl, add a cup of gram flour and a few spoons of water. Mix well with the flour.
2. Make sure the batter is mixed well with no lumps.
3. Dilute a pinch of orange food color in the water, add it to the batter and mix well. 
4. Pour more water little by little into the mixing bowl and whisk the contents into a fine batter.
5. Check whether they are thin enough to go through the tiny perforated ladle at the same time, make sure it is not so runny. 
6. You can adjust the consistency by adding more flour or more water as required.

For preparing Boondi:

1. In a wide heavy-bottomed pan, add ghee as required for deep fry and let it heat at high flame.
2. Alternatively, you can use oil or a combination of both oil and ghee can also be used.
3. Once the oil is hot enough, lower the flame, take a 'Boondi karandi' or any perforated steel plate or ladle and hold it above the pan. It has to be the one with tiny holes unlike other boondis, Motichur Laddu is made of tiny boondis.
4. Take one ladle of prepared batter at a time and pour on the perforated surface and gently tap. 
5. The batter will start to fall in the shape of tiny beads through the holes. Keep tapping until the batter is completely finished.
6. The tiny balls of Boondi will start to float up at this time, gently keep giving it a mix so that it is cooked evenly. 
7. Fry them only for less than a minute, take them out and place them on a tray.
8. To avoid the holes getting blocked by the batter, clean the ladle as and when required. Use a dry cloth to clean it and make sure it is not wet before you start with the next batch.
9. Repeat the same process for the remaining batter. 

To prepare sugar syrup: 

1. Heat a wide pan with sugar and water to melt it into syrup.
2. Add orange food color and keep stirring until it boils.
3. You can also include a couple of saffron strands, but it is optional.
4. You can add liquid glucose or lemon juice to avoid the crystallization of sugar.
5. Switch off the flame.

 To prepare Motichur Laddu:

1. At this stage, add the tiny fried Boondi balls to the pan and give it a mix.
2. Add nuts of your choice if preferred and two tablespoons of ghee if the boondi was fried in oil. 
3. Give it a good final mix and make sure that the boondi has absorbed the sugar syrup.
4. Once the Boondi is coated perfectly with sugar, let it cool down in the pan.
5. Grease your palm with ghee and start rolling them into lemon-sized balls. 
6. You can also garnish them with sliced almonds, cashew halves or with melon seeds as preferred and it is ready to eat.
7. This can be stored in an airtight container and it can stay fresh for around ten days.