SWEET BOONDI

Ingredients

Besan Flour(Kadalai Maavu) - 1 cup
Cooking soda - a very tiny pinch
Oil - to deep fry
Cloves - 2
Yellow food color - a tiny pinch
Cardamom - 1 powdered
Cashews - 1 tbsp broken
Raisins - 1/2 tbsp
Edible camphor - a very tiny pinch

To make the sugar syrup:

Sugar - 3/4 cup
Water - 1/2 cup(sugar should be just immersed so adjust accordingly)

Method:

1. In a pan - add a tsp of ghee and fry add cashews fry till slightly browned then add raisins,cloves and fry till golden brown,keep aside.
2. Sieve besan flour with soda and transfer it to a mixing bowl.Add water little by little to form a thick paste.
3. Then add more water to form a flowing batter, then add  yellow color.We need 2 laddles for making boondhi : one for making the boondhis and another for draining them from oil.
4. If the batter consistency is not perfect the balls will not be round.
5. 
6. To check if the batter is in correct consistency : First take a spoon and dip the backside of the spoon into batter and hold it on top of the preheated oil. If it drops as perfect rounds then the batter is perfect.Pour one ladle of batter over the ladle with the hole holding it just above the oil as shown in the picture.It will drip down by itself, you can even spread it using the laddle in circular motion(like we make dosa) for quicker process.Turn over to cook on both sides evenly.It should not be crispy just cooked.
   
   
7. Wipe off the boondi laddle with a cloth for each batch.Alternatively you can wash the boondi laddle and wipe it clean and then start the next batch.Repeat to finish the entire batter.
   
8. In a broad vessel first add sugar with water till immersing level and heat it up.Check for single string consistency. 
   
9. Drain the boondis in a tissue and immediately add it to the prepared warm sugar syrup.Once you add all the boondis add edible camphor,cardamom powder, and ghee fried cashews,raisins and cloves.Mix well  it may look sticky at this time, give atleast an hr or 2 standing time for the boondis to absorb the sugar syrup  and for the sugar to crystallise.