These fried chickpea flour balls are one of my favorite snacks, and it is so good to munch these boondis with a cup of tea or coffee. It is a perfect evening snack. It is a fried goodie, but it is quite easy to make as well. Apart from the cooking ingredients, we also need perforated ladles for making this boondi which is not hard to find either.
Perforated Ladles for Making Boondi:
I recently got the traditional boondi karandi / ladle from my grandma. But before, I used to use my perforated spoon/spatula with holes for making boondis. You can find these spoons in amazon too. Here are the set of spatulas that I use for making the boondis. Here is the video which explains the entire process and also how to make the mixture with this kaara boondhi.
Ingredients:
Chick Pea Flour / Besan / Kadalai Maavu – 1 cup Rice Flour – 1 tbsp Salt – ¼ tsp + ½ tsp Red Chili Powder – ⅛ tsp + ½ tsp Baking Soda – ½ tsp Oil for frying Curry leaves – 10 Raw Peanuts – ¼ Water – ½ cup + 3 tbsps
Steps:
In a mixing bowl, sieve the chickpea flour, rice flour, ¼ tsp of salt, ⅛ tsp of red chili powder and baking soda. Mix it. Now slowly add the water. First, add ¼ cup and mix and then add the second ¼ cup. After this add 1 tbsp of water at a time and mix well. The batter should be in pouring consistency more like dosa batter. If its too thin, the boondis will split and in that case add 1 tbsp of besan or rice flour to thicken it. Now heat the oil for frying. When the oil is hot, fry the boondis over medium heat. Hold the perforated ladle over the hot oil and pour the boondi mix and spread it lightly so that the boondi droplets fall into the oil. Finish up the batter that spoon. Let it fry for at least 45 seconds to 1 minute before turning them. If not the boondis will lose it shape. Flip them after 45 seconds and fry until they turn golden or until the bubbling sound ceases. Fry the remaining batter in a similar way. Place the fried boondis on a tissue paper to drain the excess oil. After frying the boondis, fry the peanuts until they are crisp and brown. It takes approx 70 to 90 seconds. And then fry the curry leaves as well. Drain the excess oil by placing the fried peanuts and curry leaves on the tissue paper. Now take the fried boondis in a big bowl and add the fried peanuts and curry leaves and also the remaining ½ tsp red chili powder and salt. Toss them until the spices are mixed. That’s it. Kara boondi is ready. Enjoy it with a cup of coffee or tea.
Notes:
The water amount depends upon the quality of the besan. So adjust accordingly and add little by little. While frying the second and third batches, if you notice the batter is thick, then add about 1 tbsp of water and mix and start frying. The batter might thicken at times. Adjust the salt and red chili powder according to your preference. It is not mandatory to add more in the end. Also, I did not add any hing, but you can add a pinch or ⅛th tsp. Peanuts are also optional, but it gives a good flavor and a crunch with the boondi.
📖 Recipe
