Mysore Pak

I've never been able to perfect sweets and I meant never until last week. It was a conscious decision to now try something new every Friday. Having totally messed up the cooking a few months ago, I am now trying to get it back on track. My GP knows why.

The mysorepak / mysurpa has always been a favorite - the Krishna Sweets melt in the mouth variety or the slightly hard home made variety. I am a sucker for sweets and have always been wanting to try this one over the last few years.

I used minimal quantities and made about 10 pieces. This way, I didn't have the guilt of wasting much. Not that I wasted anything. It was delicious, if I may say so :-)

Ingredients:

Besan / Chickpea flour / kadala maavu - 1/2 cup
Ghee - 1/2 cup (melted)
Sugar - 1/4 cup (I found the end result wanting for more sweetness, so you might want to increase the quantity here)
Water - 1/4 cup

greased pan / tray / dish - 1

Method:

1. Dry roast the besan and sieve it well. Do not miss this step.

2. Now comes the hard part - the sugar syrup. Among the myriad of consistencies, this particular dish calls for the single thread consistency. Add the water and sugar to the pan. Once the sugar dissolves completely, lower the heat to medium and let it bubble for a minute. After this, start checking for consistency. Wet your fingers and take a drop of the sugar syrup between your thumb and index finger. Stretch it slowly. It should form a single thread. Did you get it? No? Let it bubble for some more time. Just be super careful at this stage because if it crosses this stage, then you'd need to add more water, thin the syrup and again check for consistency. It's sheer patience and trial and error. Psst: I was sweating and nervous at this stage.

3. Once the desired consistency is reached, add the besan and keep stirring. Do not, I repeat, do not slacken here. As all the syrup gets absorbed, slowly start pouring the ghee. Let it absorb completely into the besan. Keep stirring with one hand, as you pour the ghee with another hand. This would take about 3-4 minutes on medium heat.  (Yes it's a fab arm toning exercise)

When it starts leaving the sides of the pan, pour it into the greased dish prepared earlier. (I am not sure how this stage is determined. It's purely instinct and practice. I used a non stick pan and it never stuck to the sides in any case.)

That's it. We are done. Make pieces when it's warm and eat right away.

Note: When I googled for "Besan in English", google promptly said Besan = Kiss in Spanish. I wonder..... :P :P 

This post is dedicated to S' dad who turns 70.

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Diwali Delight - Rava Laddoo

As Diwali neared, I decided it's time for me to crack sweet-making. That's something I'd never been able to master, and even the most simplest of sweets (not counting payasam and chakkara pongal) always left me nervous. I have made a mess many a time and have had to throw away batches. (I did perfectly make vella cheedai and I pride myself on that :D and I suppose vella paagu is slightly more forgiving than chakkara paagu)

And mom and I always end up fighting in the kitchen (the proverbial territorial fight) and this time I clearly told her that for once, I only want her guiding and instructing me and not actually making the sweet. And with that out of the way, we got into gear.

Rava ladoo was the first. Easy peasy stuff and no sugar syrup required. Yay! (And I know someone who loves this, so all the more better for me to learn how to make this one)

And here is how we make these cute little balls!

Ingredients:

Bombay Rava (Sooji) - 1 cup
Sugar - 1.5 cup
Melted Ghee - 1 cup (You can substitute with vanaspati if you like, but hey, what's a little indulgence without fresh ghee)
Cardamom powder - 1 pinch
Cashew nuts - chopped - 4 tsp (approx - use judgment)
Gram flour / Roasted gram flour - 1/2 cup (optional - I didn't use this while making mine)

Method:

Roast Rava until hot and aroma is released. But ensure it doesn't turn brown. (That means constant stirring and keeping an eye on it). Let cool
Grind into fine powder in a mixie. (Pass it through a sieve if it's not fine enough)
Grind the sugar. (If you can find powdered sugar in the store, nothing like it)
In a mixing bowl, add the rava, sugar, cardamom powder and cashew nuts.
Slowly add the melted ghee, and mix with a spoon. (Add more ghee if you think the mixture is a little too dry / crumbly)

Now, we come to the actual art (er..) of making the laddoos. Bunch up a big portion of the mixture in your hand, and squeeze it within an inch of its life. Squeeze, turn, squeeze turn - alternatively, until you produce a nice little ball without cracks. Place it slowly in a dish, and repeat act with the rest of the mixture. There, we are done!

Happy Deepavali :-)

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