Bengali Style Sweet Boondi

sweet boondi

Preparation Time : 10 minutes
Cooking Time : 20-25 minutes
Serves:6-7

Ingredients :

• Besan/Gram flour :1 and 1/2 cup
• Water for batter : 1 and 1/4 cup
• Red food colour : 1 drop
• Sugar : 1 cup
• Water for syrup :2 and 1/2 cup
• Cardamom : 3-4 crushed
• Rose water : 1tsp
• Vegetable oil to deep fry

Note:

 (The critical part of boondi making is to use the right kind of utensil

   for the batter to drop through the holes into the hot oil to form the

   little pearl shaped fried balls.To accomplish this you need to use a

   strainer or perforated ladle (in bengali we call it jhanjri) that has
   several round holes on the surface.)

Procedure:

   

1) In a pan put 2 and 1/2 cup water and sugar and bring to boil on high heat.
    Add crushed cardamom and rose water.When sugar melts down and syrup
    becomes thick,then simmer the syrup.

2) Now in a bowl mix besan with 1 cup water to make a smooth thick batter.
    If required add little water.

3) Heat the oil in a frying pan.

4) Hold the perforated ladle/ jhanjri above the oil over the center of the frying
    pan with one hand. With your other hand pour some of the batter onto the
    perforated ladle to cover all of the holes without  spilling over the edge
    of the perforated ladle.

5) The batter will start dropping through the holes into the oil. If the batter

    doesn’t drop right away through the holes, pour the batter on the skimmer

    back into the batter bowl, mix a little more water to the batter and start

    again. Drop enough boondi into the oil  so they just cover the surface of

    the oil in frying pan in a single layer. In 2-3 tbsp batter mix red food colour

    and also make boondi from this batter.

6) Fry them until boondis are light gold in color but not crispy. 

7) Lift the boondi out of the oil with a slotted spoon (this allows excess

    oil to drip back into the frying pan) and put them directly into the warm

    syrup and mix.

8) Before making the next batch of boondi, wipe clean the skimmer.

    Repeat the process of making boondi and adding to the syrup with rest

    of the batter. You may have to adjust the heat in between making boondis.

9) When finished frying the boondi, let them soak in the syrup for 1 hour
    or more. 

Bengali Langcha

bengali langcha

Preparation Time  : 1 hour
Cooking Time : 1 hour - 1/2 hour

Ingredients :

• Chana : 2 cups
• Maida : 1 tsp
• Basmati rice flour : 1 tsp
• Khoya kheer : 1 cup
• Jaiphal-javitri powder : 2 pinch
• Baking soda : 1 pinch
• Nakul Dana : 15 or more
• Sugar : 2 tbsp
• Mustard oil : 1 tsp
• Cardamom : 5-7 crushed
• Vegetable oil for deep frying
• Ghee : 2  tbsp heaped or you can fry langchas in ghee only.
• Water : 5 cups + 2 cups 
• Sugar : 2 cups + 1 cup

Procedure :

1) First on a flat surface like kitchen slab, put chana ,khoya  kheer,2 tbsp
    sugar, baking soda, javitri and jaiphal powder.Knead it well with the
    help of both palms for 10 minutes so that there are no lumps in the
    mixture.
2) Now add maida and basmati rice powder. Again knead for half an
     hour.You have to make a soft dough.
3) Now you have to take mustard oil in both palm and knead the dough
     very well for another 10 -15 minutes.The dough will remove oil.
4) Now in a plate put 1 tsp of musard oil and spread it .
5) Now put a heavy bottom large pan and pour 5 cups of water and 2 cups
    of sugar. Boil it.Add 4-5 crushed cardamom and boil it for 8-10 minutes.
    Now make heat very low so that syrup remains warm. Make it light syrup.
6) Take another small pan and pour 2 cups of water and 1 cup of sugar or
     little less than 1 cup and 2 crushed cardamom.Let it boil and make thick
     syrup. Turn off the heat.
7) Now make equal size round balls out of the dough,put 1 nakul dana inside
    the balls,  then  shape them into long cylinders, the shape of langcha. Roll
    the dough with your palms on the slab to make them even and smooth.
    Cover the raw langchas with a wet kitchen towel .
8) In a frying pan heat 2 tbsp ghee and 1 cup oil . Now lower the heat to
    medium -low.
9) Now add 5 langchas in hot oil and fry in low heat evenly on all sides till
    its colour changes to dark brown. While frying langchas will increase in
    size so either use very  large pan or fry in small quantities. Do not over fry
    it will burn.
10) Now put the fried langchas in light syrup and stir continously in it for
      15 minutes. This will help the langchas to be soft inside and its outer
      surface will be little crispy.
11) Atlast take out langchas from light syrup and put it in thick syrup .let it
      there for 10 minutes.Remove from syrup.
     Serve langchas warm or chilled.