Durga Puja (Bijoya Special): Bonde / Sweet Boondi

You have finally bid Her goodbye with a heavy heart. But all endings mark new beginnings, so does Durga Puja. Each year She leaves us, but with a new hope for a better tomorrow and a promise to come back again next year, thus a new wait. We celebrate that too through wishing everyone Subho Bijoya. And one thing that is compulsory while exchanging these greetings is misti (sweets). Bijoya is incomplete without sweets, and one of the typically served sweets for this occasion is bonde. Traditionally, the ladies would make these treats like nimki, naadu, moyaa at home. So, why not greet your near ones with some home-made bonde this Bijoya. Trust me, it is not that difficult.

Bonde

Well, something absolutely necessary even before you move on to the ingredients is a perforated ladle (as shown in the picture below).

INGREDIENTS:

Fine Gram flour / Besan: 1 1/2 cup
Rice flour: 1/4 cup
Baking powder: A pinch (Optional)
Sugar: 3 1/2 cups
Water
Red food colour (Optional)
Oil for frying

PROCEDURE:

For the sugar syrup

Heat sugar and water (2 cups) in a pan and bring it to a boil. You may also add two green cardamoms for flavour.

Keep reducing the syrup till you almost get 'one string consistency. To check the right consistency dip a spoon into the syrup and take it out. When the syrup on the spoon cools down a little take it between your fingers and see if a single thread is formed when you pull the fingers apart.

For the batter

Take the gram flour and rice flour in a bowl, and make a thick paste of it by adding some water. You need to make a thick paste first to get rid of any lumps.

Then slowly keep adding water to get a pouring consistency. (You may add 1/2 tbsp oil to the batter so that it falls smoothly though the ladle.)

Now let's check if the batter is at its right consistency. It is very important for getting the perfect round shape. Heat oil in a pan for frying (Keep the heat on medium high). Dip one end on the spoon in the batter (the end you hold while eating). Then drop the batter from the spoon into the oil.

If it does not form a perfect round then add a little more water to the batter. Repeat the process till you get the correct consistency.

Once you are ready with the batter take out about 5 tbsp of it in a different bowl and add some red food colour to it. (Optional)

Now pour the batter in batches through the perforated ladle into the oil (hold the ladle about 5 to 6 inches high form the oil).

Fry them till nice golden brown. (You may need to clean the ladle a few times in between to make the batter flow smoothly through the pores.)

Take them out on a paper towel a keep them aside.

Finally when you are done with frying dunk all of it into the sugar syrup (preferably slightly warm). You may need a larger bowl to do this. Make sure all of it gets thoroughly coated in the syrup.

Let it rest for about 2 to 3 hours so that it is soaks all that liquid and becomes nice and moist.

Subho Bijoya every one.


Photographs by Swakshar Ghosh