Thaen Mittai | Honey Candy in 5mins(Using Idly Batter)

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Wanna know the trick on how to prepare thaen mittai without any undercooked batter inside?

Here’s the secret tip to let the sugary syrup to find its way into the candy?

Let’s drool right away..!!

Read Further for a homemade thaen mittai recipe

What is thaen mittai?

Thaen means honey, Mittai means sweet. So, Thaen Mittai literally translates to Honey Sweet.

Thaen mittai is a bright orange, soft, sweet candy prepared using unfermented idly batter (soaked and ground urad dal and idly rice), oil to fry and sugar syrup.

Thaen mittai was a popular sweet or candy or chocolate until the 90’s.

It is usually sold in small petty shops in villages and towns throughout Tamilnadu.

Most of us would have headed to petty shops (petti kadai in tamil) during our childhood days, especially the ones near schools.

Neatly stacked Thaen mittai’s inside a tall glass jar kept in front of every petty shops are always tempting.

These tiny thaen mittai’s are also known as honey candy or sweet candy.

One bite of these tiny honey candies is enough to take you back to those sweet childhood memories and make you drool.

Sugar Candies had almost become extinct and is now finding its way back to road side shops and supermarkets too.

Note: These thaen mittai’s are made of sugar syrup and never with honey. They are called thaen mittai only because they taste as sweet as honey.

Video Recipe: How to prepare thaen mittai using idly batter

Video Courtesy: Three Whistles Kitchen Youtube Channel

Below are the 2 variations of Thaen Mittai:

1. Thaen Mittai with Jaggery

Thaen mittai or honey candy, can also be prepared using jaggery syrup instead of sugar syrup.

Substituting jaggery in place of sugar is a simple and healthier method of making thaen mittai.

The only small thing that you need to compromise with is the taste. Not actually compromise, but it just adds a different taste and flavor.

2. Thaen Mittai Recipe with Maida

The store-bought honey candies or thean mittai’s are usually prepared using maida(also known as all-purpose flour or refined wheat flour).

If you have closely noticed the store-bought Thaen mittai, you can see how perfectly round balls they are made off.

These perfectly shaped thean mittai’s are prepared using maida instead of idly batter(rice and urad dal mix).

Thaen mittai made of idly batter is definitely much healthier than those made of maida.

Thaen Mittai Benefits

Thaen mittai made from idly batter (urad dal and rice mixture) are comparatively healthier than those prepared using maida flour.

Also, using honey or jaggery syrup can be healthier instead of sugar syrup.

Step-by-Step Procedure to Prepare Thaen Mittai

Step 1: Preparing the Sugar Syrup

Take a bowl or kadai and put it on heat.
Add sugar and water.

Stir until the sugar dissolves.
Allow it to boil.

Continue boiling until the sugar gets sticky and thick.
Once it forms a syrupy consistency, turn off the heat.
Keep it aside.

Step 2: Preparing the Idly Batter

Wash and soak Rice(preferrably idly rice) and Urad dal(whole or split) for 3 hours.
You can soak them together or separately.
After 3 hours, grind the rice and dal together or separately.
Add water in batches (while grinding) so it doesn’t become runny.
Grind until the batter is fine and smooth in texture.
Now the idly batter is ready to be fried into small crispy balls.
Do NOT allow the batter to ferment.

Step 3: Mixing the Thaen mittai batter

Skip “STEP 2” if you already have the unfermented Idly Batter ready with you.
Take idly batter in a bowl.
Add cooking soda (aka baking soda) and red food color(powder or gel).
Food color is optional. Skip adding it if you’re making it for kids.
Mix it thoroughly. Keep aside.

Step 4: Frying

Heat oil in a kadai to deep fry.
Dip your fingers in water. Let the dripping water fall off your fingers.
Now, take small portions of batter using your fingers and drop it into the hot oil.

If your batter is too watery, you will get small tail like projections at the end.
Make sure the batter consistency is thick, but not too thick.
If the shape of the thaen mittai is not a big deal for you, then you can proceed with the slightly watery batter.
Fry the batter until the outer layer is crispy.

Fry in medium flame.
Do NOT burn it.
Once the bubbles reduce, remove it from the oil and drop it into the sugar syrup or just transfer it to a plate.

Step 5: Soaking in Sugar Syrup

Drop the fried, crispy balls into the sugar syrup.
Mix well.
let the sugar syrup coat well all over the crispy balls.
Allow it to soak for a minimum of 3-4 hours.

drop fried balls in sugar syrup thenu mittai

Recipe Card: How to make Honey Candy

Instant Thaen Mittai | Honey Candy using Idly Batter

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Thaen Mittai using Idly Batter | Honey Candy Recipe | Petty kadai thaen mittai | Sweet Candy

Thaen mittai, also known as honey candy or sweet candy is a bright orange coloured sweet. It is a small ball shaped sweet that is soft and juicy. these honey candies are prepared using unfermented idly batter, fried in oil and soaked for few hours in sugar syrup. thaen mittai is a very popular sweet amongst the kids until the 90's. It is usually sold in petty kadai (small shops) in towns and villages. Now you can also find them in a few supermarkets too. For all those thaen mittai lovers, here's the recipe for you all to make it yourselves at your home for your loved ones and not to forget - to treat your taste buds😋😋😍😍🍯🍬

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Serves: 5-6 Prep Time: 2 Minutes Cooking Time: 5 Minutes (without soaking time) 5 Minutes (without soaking time)

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Rating: 5.0/5

( 1 voted )

Ingredients

For sugar syrup
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup water
For batter
1 cup idly batter (unfermented)
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/8-1/4 tsp red food color (optional) - add only if you need the orange color

Instructions

For sugar syrup

Add sugar and water to bowl.
Heat and allow the sugar to dissolve completely.
Bring the sugar syrup to a thick consistency.
Keep aside.

For batter

Take unfermented idly batter in a bowl.
Add baking soda and red food colour.
Mix them well.
Check the batter consistency. (not too thick not too thin).

For frying

Drop small portions of the batter into hot oil- medium flame.
Fry until the outer layer is crispy and no bubbles.
Transfer to a plate or drop directly into the sugar syrup.

For soaking in sugar syrup

Transfer all the crispy balls into the sugar syrup.
Coat them well in sugar syrup.
Let them soak for a minimum of 3-4 hours.
Enjoy juicy, tasty sweet sugar candies.

Tips & Tricks (with questions and answers)

Can you use Split Urad Dal instead of Whole One?

For this honey candy recipe, you can use either split urad dal or whole urad dal.

But make sure to use urad dal without the black skin.

Will the batter burst while frying in oil?

Make sure not to take too much water in your hands while dropping the idly batter in oil.

Why does the outer layer turn out hard?

The outer layer turns out hard for 2 reasons: ratio of rice is more or it is overcooked.

Why is the batter undercooked inside?

Very thick batter or because of frying in high flame.

How to make thaen mittai’s soak well in sugar syrup?

Drop the fried idly batter right into the hot/warm sugar syrup immediately after frying. Fried idly batter balls soak up sugar syrup well when hot.

How to store sugar candy or honey candy?

Sugar/honey candy can be stored in normal or airtight containers or steel boxes or glass jars. Also, thaen mittai can be kept outside in rom temperature for about 2 days, after which you can refrigerate them for about 2-3 days.

Thaen Mittai | Honey Candy in 5mins(Using Idly Batter)

What is thaen mittai?

Video Recipe: How to prepare thaen mittai using idly batter