BENGALI BONDE

My name is Bond.... James Bond! Aww.... "Ami Bonde... cholbe naki luchi... murir sathey?".... Hi....hi... hi..... This is enough reason for any real, virtual life Mr. Bond to avoid coming anywhere near me... Oh My God! Ain't I that little girl still who loved wrapping pearl drop sized, juicy BENGALI BONDE in luchi /poori / puffed bread; finish four of sweet rolls in four minutes? I am indeed if only my health allowed me the pleasure, neither I deprive myself from having little of everything I love.... Thats how I make peace with life! I have fried stuffs... salted or sweet .... the son also loves jilipi, amriti, BENGALI BONDE. I thank Almighty for this.... else there would be suspicion he is mine, that he belongs to humble "Bongofied' family on both sides. 

I have noticed, this much loved, non-pedigreed Bengali sweet gets tastier as it travels towards interior of Bengal, you may prove me wrong, I draw inferences from assumptions, not researches. The son's love for BENGALI BONDE made our father get fresh bonde everyday from local shops whenever son stayed at his "dadun's.... smiling buro's bari", now brother gets for him. BENGALI BONDE can be called nearest cousin of sweet boondi... its juicer, melt in mouth whilst sweet boondi, the non-Bengali way is drier, crunchy.... ingredients used may be same.

Some mornings bring nostalgia, with it "shalpatai mora bonde.".... a teen girl asking man at sweet shop counter.... "kaku dusho gram bonde aar roshogolla doshta.... mani boleche tatka dekhe ditey... taratari dao... school jabo".... She was in hurry for school, mother planned "luchi... torkari...bonde" for lunch box. Besides, thrill of opening lunch box, there was other areas of interest in school which eventually turned out nightmarish. I whispered to myself each day... when is last day?... I do not wish to come back here! ....Such was fear of Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics classes...haha! It's 30 & 1/2 years now, time to break that promise! On my next visit to Kolkata, I wish to do tour of "our school, aaspass."..... I will not inform one of my dearest friend Kakoli who is teacher there, neither will ask brother or Chandrayee to accompany me.... my readers know I am happy loner. Coming to point, I have in fact copy pasted this recipe of BENGALI BONDE following few other food bloggers.... there cannot be any other recipe for preparing bonde neither do I have chance to meet "haluikar"/ sweet maker based in this island. 

You will definitely appreciate amount of labour I have put in or all of us do put in for dishes we cook. I am not an angel who gives due credit to everyone I follow.... there are two reasons for this... any heirloom recipe demands more or less same ingredients... second is "kuch emoson wali baat hai".... I am unable to.... For BENGALI BONDE, which was not made in our family, I have drawn inspiration from following blogs.... Scratching Canvas, our blogger friend Amrita Roy's Motions and Emotions, Mellow N Spicy. The lady at Scratching Canvas has described it with few do's, don'ts which I liked but did not follow, yet sweet boondis came out decent.  When extra cautious, I surely commit serious kitchen blunders! The sweet boondi we get here is drier unlike Bengal's, although Belur Math serves dry variety as "proshad" .... I wanted to make BENGALI BONDE at home.... These days, Kolkata sweet shops serve baked bonde... I didn't taste. Usually, two to three food colours are used to prepare BENGALI BONDE, I used icing colours for it.... that too in Xmas season.... haha! The pretty cool self was having hot mini wok treat yesterday afternoon just to prepare stomach for sinful breakfast platter "muri.... bonde.... bedana / dalim"...

Bonde is enjoyed just like that, or with puffed rice, puffed bread, atop bread. While having BENGALI BONDE, I was lost in somewhere far there... "dhulo orano path, bus ta thamlo cha o jol khabarer dokaner pashey.... dada duto kochuri, torkari aar bonde din, sange cha....He asks... didi kothai uthben?... Je bhalobeshe deke dal, aloo bhaja, mach bhaja, lebu, lanka debey... ami tari"....  Thats me.... I remain same... Language of love is understandable. Luchi-bonde, muri-bonde can be accompanied by choice of fruit. Come let us treat our family / friends with sweet boondi / BENGALI BONDE that requires few ingredients, of which gram flour, sugar is prime.

Heavily Inspired by....
scratchingcanvas.com
motionsandemotions.com
mellownspicy.com

INGREDIENTS :

Gram flour : 1standard cup
Baking Soda : A pinch
Red Food Colour : 1/2 a pinch [I used icing colour]
Yellow Food Colour : 1/2 a pinch [I used icing colour]
Green Food Colour : A pinch [I used icing colour]
Sugar : 1small cup [coarse grain]
Water : 11/2big cup
Rose Water : 1/2tsp
Lemon Juice : 2tbsp
Green Cardamom Powder : 3-4pinch
Oil : 100gm

"Perforated ladle" it is called too?.... a specific one is used for this purpose I have seen.


METHOD :

Take gram flour, baking soda in bowl. Mix well.

Add water little at a time until it becomes smooth batter. Make sure there is no lump in batter.

We will divide batter in to 3 parts taking it in three bowls. We will take way more amount in one than other two.

Add yellow food colour to bowl with more amount of batter. Add red, green food colours respectively to two separate bowls, mix well with 3 different table spoons.

Take sugar, water in deep bottomed vessel, put for boil at low heat. 

Once sugar syrup gets little sticky, add lemon juice. Stir for a minute, switch off gas stove.

Below are two ladles I used for frying batter, for taking out fried balls.

Heat oil in wok. Hold one ladle atop it, add a tbsp of batter to it. 

The other ladle we will use to take out fried balls on to a tissue paper. 

We will neither fry the gram flour balls too much nor let it burn.

We will repeat same process for green, red colour batter. 

Not all balls are round, I was not particular about washing ladle after each round. It does not matter, as sweet tasted well.

All gram flour balls are on tissue paper now.

Warm sugar syrup once more if its cold. Add balls to warm syrup.

Keep covered for about 30-40 minutes before serving. Enjoy!