Misti Bonde/Sweet Boondi

Course: Dessert                         

Cuisine: Indian

Preparation time: 10 minutes              

Cook time: 30 minutes 

Servings: 5 cups

Ingredients

• 2 cups of besan/chickpea flour
• 10-12 strands of saffron
• ¼ cup of beetroot juice
• 1¼ tablespoon of oil
• Oil for frying
• 2 cups of sugar
• 4-6 cardamom pods

Directions

For the yellow bonde

1. Take 1½ cup of besan in a bowl. From this besan, take about a spoonful and grind it along with the saffron strands to make a powder of the strands.
2. Transfer this besan to the bowl of remaining besan and add water slowly to the besan. Whisk them to make a lump free flowing batter. (I have used 1 tablespoon less than 1 cup of water to make the batter)
3. Now, add 1 tablespoon of oil to the batter.

For the red bonde

1. Take ½ cup of besan in a bowl and add the beetroot juice slowly to the besan. Whisk them to make a lump free flowing batter.
2. Now, add ¼ tablespoon of oil to the batter.

Frying the bondes

1. Take oil in a pan and heat the oil. To check the temperature, drop the batter with a spoon in the oil. If it comes up immediately, the oil is ready.
2. To check the consistency of batter , drop the batter with a spoon in hot oil. If it forms a tail, the batter is too thick you need to add water. If the bondes become flat, the batter is too thin, add besan.
3. If it is round then the batter is ready. Take a perforated ladle(jhanjri) and pour the batter on the ladle. The batter will start dropping.
4. Fry the bondes, strain them from hot oil and leave them on kitchen napkin.

For the syrup

1. Take the sugar in a pot. To the sugar add 1 cup of water and the cardamom pods. Now dissolve the sugar till the syrup achieves one string consistency.
2. Once the syrup is ready turn off the flame and let it cool down a bit. The bonde should be added to warm syrup.
3. You can also add cashew nuts and raisins at this point.
4. Add the bonde and mix uniformly. Continue mixing at regular intervals.
5. Leave the bonde overnight to soak up the syrup and voila your bonde is ready.

Notes

• You can also use food color instead.
• The ladle should be cleaned after each use of dropping bondes in oil.
• The bondes can be stored in air tight container for up to a week.