Sieve the gram flour, salt & baking soda into a bowl and add 1-1/2 cups of water little by little and whisk or stir vigorously with a spoon until the mixture looks like dosa batter- this way you can prevent lumps from forming. Continue to add the rest of the water until you get a loose, flowy batter *see note#2
Add the food colouring 1-2 drops at a time and whisk until you get the desired colour. We used about 4 drops to get a bright yellow-custard like colour. Keep the batter aside.
Heat the oil for deep frying on a medium high heat. To test readiness of the oil dip the back of a spoon into the batter and hover it over the oil - if the drop falls easily into the oil and sizzles back up within a few seconds and holds perfect round shape, the batter and oil is perfect for frying.
Holding the boondi jarni at a height over the frying pan, pour some batter into it. Using the spatula or round spoon make circular motions to aid the batter to drop into the oil. Stop when the pan is sufficiently filled with the boondis - do not overcrowd the pan.
Using the spare perforated spatula give the boondis a quick mix and let them fry for not more than 12-15 seconds - we need them just cooked, not crisp. If they are too crisp they will not absorb the syrup and break when you form the laddoos. Remove the fried boondis onto a plate lined with kitchen tissue. Wipe the jarni clean with a kitchen tissue or wash and pat dry between batches if possible - this is done to unclog the jarni perforations (holes) as gram flour batter dries up quickly.
Continue frying the boondis till all the batter is used up. Make sure that the heat of the oil is maintained - not too hot, not too cool.
Next, make the sugar syrup by placing the sugar (3 cups) and the water (1-1/14 cups) in a pan, stir only until the sugar is dissolved. After that let the mixture come to a rolling boil. Check for 2 string consistency by dipping the spoon into the syrup and dab a drop of it with your index finger. Press this drop of syrup between your index finger and thumb. If it forms two strings, without breaking, your syrup is ready. Remove pan from heat. see note#6 & 7
Transfer the boondis into this hot syrup, add the flavouring - cardamom powder and cloves (or powder) and give it a gentle mix - don't use too much pressure or you could crush the boondis. Let them soak up the syrup until the mixture is cool enough for you to handle. You must shape the laddoos when the mixture is still reasonably hot.
In the meanwhile heat some ghee in a small pan and fry the raisins till they turn golden - quickly remove them before they burn and add them to the boondi mixture. Alternatively you may place just one or two raisins on top of each laddoo while shaping them.
To shape the laddoos, grab a handful of the hot mixture and give it a gentle but firm squeeze. The excess boondis will fall off after which you can press the mixture lightly into a round shape. Place a raisin/nut on top if desired. Continue until all the mixture is used up.
Once cooled completely store them in airtight containers.