Mishti Bonde is a typical Bengali sweet which goes great with luchi or kochuri. Just like jilipi, it is an integral part of the Bengali breakfast menu. Bonde is tiny crisp sweet balls made of gram flour or besan. There are two varieties of bonde available in the sweet shops. One is the soft ones which are sticky and soft in sugar syrup. The other variety is the one which is a bit dry, crisp from outside and sweet and juicy inside. I love this dry one which are also known as shukno bonde or jhuro bonde.
I have sweet memories associated with bonde. Every year, on Saraswati puja in our school, my friends and I used to distribute bonde after the khichuri bhog. It was so much fun in distributing the sweets to the whole school after the meal was over. Those days were so much fun.
I was craving for this mishti bonde when I made the luchi and cholar dal. There is no way I can buy from the sweet shop here unlike back home, where it is so easily available. So I went ahead and made this keeping in mind the dry variety which I love the most. If you want, you may make the soft ones too. Just cook the sugar syrup until half string consistency and follow the same method.
Follow the tips and make some today to surprise your family this festive season. It makes for a great gift during celebration.
Tips:
Adding the food color is optional. You may store the dry bonde in an airtight container for at least a week at room temperature. If you are making the soft one, then store in the fridge. You may add few drops of rose water to the sugar syrup for flavor. Maintain the distance between the oil and the perforated ladle to make perfect round shaped boondis. After each batch, wipe the perforated ladle clean.
You may follow our Facebook page, Instagram and Pinterest for regular updates. If you recreate any recipe from Mellownspicy then don’t forget to send us a picture of the finished recipe or tag us at #mellownspicy. Thank You!
HOW TO MAKE BENGALI STYLE MISHTI BONDE
- YIELD: 8 Servings
- PREP: 15 mins
- COOK: 25 mins
- READY IN: 40 mins
Bonde is tiny crisp sweet ball made of gram flour or besan. Goes great with luchi or kochuri as a part of Bengali breakfast!
INGREDIENTS
- 2 cups besan or chickpea flour
- 1/4 cup rice flour
- 1/4 teapsoon baking soda
- 2 cups vegetable oil for deep frying
- 2 cups sugar
- 1/2 cup water
- 1-2 small green cardamom
INSTRUCTIONS
-
- First make the sugar syrup: In a big saucepan, add the sugar and water and bring to a boil. Add the cardamom. Let the sugar syrup cook until it comes to 1 and 1/2 string consistency. To check the string, carefully take a drop of syrup in between your thumb and fore finger. Press lightly. If you see a string and half then the sugar syrup is ready. Switch off the flame and keep it warm.
- In a large bowl, add the besan, rice flour and baking powder. Whisk together and gradually add the water to make a lump free batter. The consistency of the batter should be of medium just like a pakora batter. Divide the batter into two bowls. Add red color in one and the yellow food color in the other bowl. Mix well.
- Heat oil in a kadai or pan with high sides. Add few drops of the batter to check the oil. If the drops of batter rise up instantly then the oil is ready. Add spoonful of the batter through a perforated ladle or jhanjri so that the drops of the batter fall in the hot oil. Fry for a minute and drain with a slotted spoon and transfer to a bowl lined with kitchen towel. Hold the perforated ladle high from the oil so that the bonde/ boondi get a perfect round shape. Keep the heat at medium high. Fry the boondis in batches. Repeat with rest of the batter.
- When your are done with frying , add all the fried boondis to the warm sugar syrup. Mix well, and switch on the heat at medium low. Lightly mix the bonde until all the syrup is absorbed. Switch off the heat and let the bonde rest for sometime.
- When the bonde is cool enough to handle transfer to a bowl. Serve bonde warm or at room temperature with your favorite meal or as a snack. Enjoy!
Leave a Reply