Indian cuisine · Desserts & Sweets

Motichoor Ladoo

Tiny fried pearls of chickpea flour, soaked in saffron syrup and shaped into fragrant balls while still warm.

Ingredients · for 6 servings

• 200 g chickpea flour
• 250 ml water (for the batter)
• 300 g sugar
• 200 ml water (for the syrup)
• 1 pinch saffron threads
• 4 cardamom pods
• 1 tbsp ghee
• 2 tbsp melon seeds
• 30 g pistachios
• 1 l frying oil

Instructions

1. Whisk the chickpea flour with the batter water until lump-free into a thin mixture that runs off the spoon like cream, and let rest for 15 min.
2. Cook the sugar, syrup water, saffron threads and the crushed cardamom seeds for 6–8 min. until the syrup is sticky but not yet thread-forming; keep warm.
3. Heat the frying oil to 170°C and drip the batter through a fine perforated sieve into the oil in batches, forming tiny pearls.
4. Fry the pearls lightly for 1–2 min. – they shouldn't brown –, skim out, drain briefly and add immediately to the warm syrup.
5. Let all the pearls soak in the syrup for 10 min., then mix in the ghee, melon seeds and half the chopped pistachios; the mixture should be moist but moldable.
6. With lightly greased hands, shape into walnut-sized balls, garnish with the remaining pistachios and let firm up for 30 min.