Boondi/Boondiya/My Yellow Pearls – Sweety Sweet

Someone asked me, “Why have you not written on your food blog for a long time?”

It surprised me. I said with all simplicity, “Didn’t feel like writing.”

“But…” and then nothing more. The topic changed and it was all about politics, Swach Bharat, some likes and dislikes about all that’s going on and so many other things that need no mention at all (here).

There is always a space in life to work, if not from the front, from the space that is comfortable. And in all this it has become very necessary for each and every individual to see that we keep our country clean. Then I am not a preacher but a thinker…cleanliness is so essential in the kitchen.

Khatta, meetha, teekha, make up life. Today I’m here to share something sweet.

The Yellow Pearls must be worrying some thoughts and some may smile while some will open their mouth to laugh.

“Yellow Pearls cooking in the kitchen?” Very funny -- indeed. 

“Pretty smart, isn’t it. Do the words match with what is cooking in the kitchen?”

Aare baba, just wait and see and you’ll like it and will surely try at least once. And then, when you like this, surely will be one of your favs from your kitchen.

Who said humans bite and chew pearls. Ladies love to wear them…they love jewellery…necklace, earings, bangles…

Let’s come back to the kitchen and talk about the cooking procedure…I mean how I make these Yellow Pearls…na na na, these are the Boondies/Boondiyas I’m talking about. Since I have not used the red and green and even the yellow edible colours, they have this look.

These days I fear buying sweets from the market, the halwais/mistiwallahs add spurious ingredients that can make one fall sick. I prefer to make different sweets at home…those that I can prepare…and some come from the shops.

Anyway this is not an Anthology about the pearls.

But then let me share something exciting. Some years back, a young man, known to me and my family came with a collection of pink pearls threaded that could be worn as an attractive necklace. He asked me to keep it for a couple of days. Later he came and took his stuff. It was then he revealed that the pink pearls were very precious and rare and it was a collector’s pride which could fetch a lot of money. I laughed away at his words. Since then it has been more than a decade and today my Yellow Pearls brings back memories.

Making Boondiya is very easy. Once you try it at home you will want to make it again and again.

All that is needed:

Besan/Chickpea flour

Sugar

Baking powder

Oil to fry

And of course water.

Process 1:

Take 1 cup besan/chickpea flour

To this add ½ tsp. baking powder

Now add water to make a batter not runny or very thick.

Process 2:

1 ¼ cup sugar

1 ¼ cup water

Place a cooking vessel on the stove and light the flame.

Pour the water and add the sugar and let it cook till the sugar dissolves. Before the one-thread comes up, switch off the flame.

Keep this close at hand for the next process.

Process 3:

Place a kadhai/wok (an iron wok is the best but can use an aluminum or a non-stick one) on the burning stove.

Pour sufficient oil, about 2 cups and heat it. Once hot, reduce the flame so that the oil cools down a bit for the frying process.

Process 4:

Now the main work starts.

Take a ladle that is round in shape and has small holes made in it.

Pour a spoonful of batter and let the handle of the ladle hit the side of the kadhai/wok continuously making the dhak dhak noise with every beat.

Tiny little balls will fall onto the oil.

Once enough balls have made place in the oil, time to stop.

Next fry these tiny boondies till they are cooked, don’t over fry as they will get hard. Increase and reduce the flame as required.

Once done, take them out on a kitchen towel and start with the next consignment…the earlier process to be followed.

Now throw in the fried boondies into the sugar syrup and just mix it.

Wait for the next ones and the next and go on adding them to the sugar syrup.

Once done, mix the boondies in the sugar syrup and just sit the vessel for a couple of minutes on fire.

It will take some time for the Boondies to absorb the sugar syrup.

Let it cool.

Serve after at least an hour to get the best effect.

There go the Yellow Pearls to be served.

Easy and will hardly take about 45 minutes to prepare ½ kg Boondi/Boondiya/Yellow Pearls at home.

Try, re-try, for success stands at your doorstep even on the first trial.

© gouri guha 2014