Kitchen Recipe Collection
Indian Motichoor Ladoo
Festive, bright orange spheres made from thousands of microscopic, deep-fried gram flour pearls bound together by sugar syrup.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 40 min
- Total
- 55 min
- Servings
- 12
- Difficulty
- hard
- Cuisine
- indian
Ingredients
Scaled for 12 servings
- besan (fine gram flour)
- water
- orange food color
- sugar
- ghee for deep frying
- melon seeds (magaz)
- cardamom powder
Equipment
- Jhāra (special perforated ladle)
- Deep frying wok (Kadai)
Instructions
- 1
Prepare the Batter
Whisk fine besan (gram flour) with water and a pinch of orange food color to form a completely smooth, thin, pouring batter.
- 2
Prepare Sugar Syrup
Boil sugar and water to a slightly sticky consistency (half-string). Add cardamom powder and food color. Keep it hot.
- 3
Heat the Ghee
Heat a generous amount of pure ghee in a wide kadai. It must be medium-hot.
- 4
The Equipment
You need a special ladle with microscopic holes (Motichoor Jhara). Hold it about 4 inches above the hot ghee.
- 5
Tap the Batter
Pour a ladle of batter onto the Jhara. Rapidly tap the edge of the Jhara against the rim of the pan or with another spoon. This forces the batter through the holes in tiny droplets.
- 6
Flash Fry
The tiny droplets (boondi) will cook almost instantly in the hot ghee (about 30-40 seconds). They must not brown or get too crispy.
- 7
Remove and Drain
Use a fine mesh strainer to quickly scoop out all the tiny pearls and drain the excess ghee.
- 8
Simmer in Syrup
Drop the hot pearls directly into the hot sugar syrup. Stir well.
- 9
The Softening
Turn on the heat under the syrup to low. Let the pearls simmer in the syrup for 2-3 minutes until they become extremely soft, translucent, and absorb the liquid.
- 10
Add Melon Seeds
Turn off the heat. Mix in a handful of roasted melon seeds (magaz).
- 11
Cool Slightly
Let the mixture sit for 15-20 minutes until it cools enough to handle, but is still warm.
- 12
Shape the Ladoos
Grease your palms with ghee. Take a portion of the sticky mixture and press it firmly into perfectly round balls. Store in an airtight container.
Cooking Tips
- The tapping technique is critical. If you don't tap, the batter will form long tails instead of round pearls.
- If the pearls get too crispy in the oil, they will not absorb the syrup and the ladoo will not bind.
Variations
- Boondi Ladoo: Made with a larger perforated spoon, resulting in larger, slightly firmer pearls.
Chef's Notes & Storage
- The most iconic Indian sweet, synonymous with Diwali and distributed to announce good news.
Nutrition Estimate
180 calories · 3g protein · 28g carbs · 7g fat · 1g fiber per serving
