Thaen Mittai is a super delicious sweet that we used to get in “Petty kadai / petty shops / small shops” in Tamil Nadu. It has a nice soft inside layer and a crispy outside layer that has sugar syrup in every bite. I have eaten a lot of thaen mittai during my childhood days.

I was craving for some sweet and thought why not give a try to attempt making thaen mittai. It was super exciting to make this mittai. I was happy that my kids were able to taste this traditional delicacy. As it was homemade made it me feel happier! Checked out few recipes online. This post is inspired from the recipe on http://www.steffisrecipes.com. It was pretty simple to make and tasted delicious. It was an instant hit among the kids.

Do try it out and enjoy!

Ingredients

For the balls

• Idli rice – 1 cup
• Urad dal / Ulundhu – 1/4 cup
• Baking soda – 1/4 tsp
• Salt – a pinch
• Orange food coloring – Very little (Add more if you like)
• Water – 5 tbsp
• Oil – for frying

Sugar Syrup

• Sugar – 1.5 cups
• Water – 3/4 cup
• Lemon juice – few drops (To avoid crystallization)(I did not add because I ran out of lemons)

Procedure

• Soak idli rice and urad dal for 3 – 4 hours.

• Grind the soaked rice and urad dal using very little water.
• The batter should be thick like vadai batter. The dough will be a bit grainy.Transfer the batter to a vessel.

• Add in a pinch of salt, food coloring and 1/4 tsp baking soda. Mix well.

• Heat oil in a pan.
• Side by side, heat a pan with sugar and water and start making the sugar syrup.
• Heat the sugar and water and mix till the sugar melts. Once melted, simmer for 5 mins. The sugar syrup should have a single string consistency. Do not make it thicker. Else it will crystallize. If you wish, add few drops of lemon juice, mix well and remove from the flame immediately to avoid crystallization.

• Wet your fingers and take a small portion of the batter. Pinch the batter into small portions in the hot oil. 6 balls per batch worked perfect. Do not overcrowd. The balls will puff up and float, which is the perfect consistency.
• Fry for 2 – 3 mins in medium flame.
• Drain the excess oil in a paper towel.
• Add it to the sugar syrup and gently coat all the sides.

• Repeat the procdure and keep on adding the balls to the sugar syrup.

• Once it has soaked for 15 – 20 mins, remove it on a plate and let it dry for sometime.
• I like it when a small sugary layer forms on the outer part.
• Store it in an airtight container.

• Satisfy your sweet cravings in a jiffy!

Notes

• Be careful while making the sugar syrup. Do not boil for long, else it will crystallize. Add lemon juice if desired.
• While frying, make smaller balls. It soaks better in the sugar syrup. My first batch was full of bigger balls. The sugar syrup did not get through the center part.