Bellam Boondi or Boondi Mitai

Now coming to the second sweet under my Indian Sweets theme this is my childhood favorite. A typical andhra sweet which is made with besan and jaggery . Bellam Boondi or Boondi achu or Boondi mitai is the names for this sweet.freshly made boondi folded in to thick jaggery syrup then poured in to greased plate then cut in to desired shapes or you can make in to small balls but you have to give the ball shape when it is hot other wise the sweet boondi will get dry.
                                                                         

                                                                      Making the boondi is a bit different for this sweet, not like boondi laddu. Fry boondi in to golden color then only the boondi will stay crisp. So the first point is use coarsely ground gram flour for this boondi. Finely ground gram flour will give a soft texture to boondi. Second point is add half portion rice flour to besan means if you took 1 cup besan then add half cup rice flour, so that boondi will turn crisp and stay crisp for long time.
                                                                          

 For this recipe we have to make three thread or hard ball consistency syrup with jaggery. If you want a detail recipe please check my recipe for jaggery syrup   
                                                                       Be careful with the syrup if you made a two thread consistency then the boondi mitai won't stay crisp and the boondi will go soggy. So be patience when start making the syrup and don't leave the syrup on the stove. This Bellam boondi or Boondi mitai will stay for long means it will stay for a month at least. So try to make this for this Deepavali
                                                                       

Let's check the recipe...
INGREDIENTS:---
Gram flour (besan, Senaga pindi) ---  3 cups
Rice flour ----  1 and half cup
Cooking soda ---   a big pinch
Ghee  ---  1 tab sp
Salt - --- a big pinch
Water  ---  2 cups approximately ( it may take less water so check and add water)
FOR JAGGERY SYRUP:--
Grated jaggery ----  4 cups
Cardamom powder  ---  1 tea sp
Ghee  ---  2 tab sp
                                                                         

METHOD:---
1. Take a mixing bowl add besan, rice flour, soda mix well with your hand to combine well.
2. Add little by little water and mix in to a thick batter this batter should be like a thick dosa batter.
So check and add little by little water if the batter turn in to a thin consistency the boondi will drink oil.
3. Add ghee to the batter mix well this will give boondi a nice aroma.
4. Now heat oil in a deep frying pan in a high flame. To check the if oil is hot enough, drop few drops of batter with a spoon, if the drops came up immediately then the oil is ready to make boondi.
 So heat of the oil is most important, if the oil is hot enough then you get perfect bubbles of boondi.
And one more thing if the oil is hot enough when you drop batter in to the oil  the boondis will come up immediately other Wise the batter will sit in the bottom of the oil and they stick together and you do not get perfect boondi. So heating of the oil is most important.
The second point is if you over heat the oil then your boondi will come up very fast and they turn red very fast and do not cook properly . 
5.  Hold a skimming ladle (one with holes normally we use to remove deep frying) above the hot oil and pour a soup ladle full batter  so that the batter will drop in to the hot oil trough the holes.
With in few seconds you can see the boondi coming up in the hot oil.

                                                              

6. Fry this boondi till golden, remove and place them in a strainer to remove extra oil if any.

Prepare boondi with all the batter and set aside.

NOW START MAKING THE SYRUP:-

7. Take grated jaggery in to a thick bottom pan, add 1/4 cup water let the jaggery melt.

8. Remove the jaggery from fire and strain to remove the dirt if any.

9. Bring back the jaggery water to the same thick bottom pan and cook till you get a three string syrup.

Keep a plate with water in the side and drop few drops of jaggery syrup in the water if you bring to gether the the syrup which is in the water that should form like a ball.

Then the syrup is ready.

10. Now add ghee and cardamom powder to the syrup mix well, reduce the flame.

11. Pour the prepared boondi in to the jaggery syrup give a good stir and switch off the heat

12. Mix boondi with jaggery syrup well to coat the syrup all over the boondis 

13. In the mean while grease a plate with ghee and pour the jaggery coated boondi in to the greased plate, spread it evenly (this job you have to do very fast other wise then boondi will become hard and you can not give it a nice shape.)

Now take a big knife and make marks to break the boondi mitai in to desire shapes.

Set a side to set, when the mitai is set break it in to desire shapes, remove from the plate and store it in a air tight container.

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#69