Motichoor means crushed pearls, and a good motichoor ladoo lives up to the name: hundreds of tiny, soft, syrup-soaked drops of besan pressed into a ladoo that falls apart in the mouth. It is the sweet of weddings and Diwali boxes, and one most families buy rather than make. It is entirely achievable at home. It asks for a little patience and a perforated ladle with small holes.
For the boondi
- 1 cup besan (fine)
- About ¾ cup water, as needed
- A pinch of baking soda (optional)
- A few strands of saffron soaked in 1 tbsp warm water, or a pinch of orange food colour
- Ghee for frying
For the syrup
- 1 cup sugar
- ½ cup water
- ½ tsp cardamom powder
- A few saffron strands
- 1 tsp lemon juice
To finish
- 1 tbsp melon seeds (magaz)
- 1 tbsp chopped pistachios
- 1 tsp ghee
Equipment
A perforated ladle or boondi jhara with small holes, about 2 mm. Small holes are what make motichoor rather than regular boondi.
Method
- Make the syrup first. Boil sugar and water until the sugar dissolves, then simmer 5 to 6 minutes until the syrup is sticky but does not form a string. Add cardamom, saffron and lemon juice. Keep warm. Syrup that is too thick makes hard ladoos.
- Make the batter. Whisk besan with water, a little at a time, into a smooth, lump-free batter. It should flow like thin pancake batter and drip off a spoon steadily. Add saffron water and soda. Test: drop a little into hot ghee. If the drops have tails, the batter is too thick; add water. If they flatten, it is too thin; add besan.
- Heat the ghee. Heat ghee in a kadai on medium. It should be hot but not smoking.
- Fry the boondi. Hold the perforated ladle a few inches above the ghee. Pour a ladle of batter over it and tap the handle gently so drops fall through. Fry for 30 to 40 seconds only, until set but still soft and pale. Do not let them turn crisp or brown.
- Into the syrup. Lift the boondi with a slotted spoon, drain for a few seconds, and drop straight into the warm syrup. Repeat until all the batter is used. Wipe the perforated ladle between batches so the holes do not clog.
- Soak. Let the boondi soak in the syrup for 20 to 30 minutes, stirring once or twice, until the syrup is absorbed.
- Crush slightly. Add melon seeds, pistachios and 1 tsp ghee. Some cooks pulse a third of the boondi briefly in a mixer to help the ladoos bind.
- Shape. Grease your palms with ghee. While the mixture is still warm, press portions firmly into round ladoos.
Common problems
Boondi has tails: batter is too thick, or the ladle is too close to the ghee.
Ladoos will not bind: the boondi was fried too crisp, or the syrup was too thin. Crush a little more, and warm the mixture slightly before shaping.
Ladoos are hard: the syrup was too thick, or the boondi was overcooked.
Boondi turned brown: the ghee was too hot.
Why fry in ghee
Sweet shops that pride themselves on their motichoor fry in ghee, and you can taste the difference: a clean, rich, fragrant ladoo rather than one that tastes of oil. Because the boondi is fried only briefly and never browned, the ghee's aroma comes through clearly. Strain the frying ghee afterwards and reuse it; see deep frying in ghee without waste.
We fry motichoor in Desi Cow A2 Ghee, which makes a festival batch affordable.