Sweet things in life

With Diwali just round the corner, get inspiration from GAURAV MASAND as he rustles up these divine delicacies in his kitchen

Chikki

Chikki/brittle can be made with sugar or jaggery or both. You could make this with peanuts, dry fruits, coconut, sesame seeds or bengal gram. The recipe presented here is simple and has readily available ingredients.

Ingredients

1 cup peanuts (without skin)

1/2 cup jaggery

1 tbsp ghee or clarified butter

2-3 cardamoms powdered

Instructions

Pulse peanuts in a food processor very briefly, to get a roughly cut texture. You don’t want a powder. Dry-roast peanuts in a heavybottomed pan, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes. Take off the heat when the nuts start to get brown spots.

Khorak

This is a traditional Sindhi recipe, made with whole wheat flour, dry fruits, ghee and poppy seeds (khus khus) during festivals, especially during Diwali.

Ingredients

¾ cup whole wheat flour

½ cup ghee

½ cup water

¾ cup jaggery

¼ cup dry fruits (cashews, almonds, walnuts, raisins), chopped finely

2 tbsp poppy seeds

2 tbsp dessicated coconut

3-4 cardamom, seeds only

In another heavy-bottomed pan, add ghee and jaggery until they start to melt.

Keep stirring on a medium flame until the jaggery turns a deep brown and begins to bubble slightly.

To test if the jaggery is ready, take a few drops of the hot jaggery in a spoon and drop it in a small bowl of cold water. If the jaggery turns brittle immediately, the jaggery mix is ready. Add cardamom powder to it along with roasted peanuts and take it off the heat.

Pour the mix on to a greased plate/ baking sheet.

While it’s still hot and pliable, cover it with a baking sheet and roll it with a rolling pin so that it spreads evenly. Make square (or any other shape) incisions with a sharp knife before it cools down completely.

Let it cool down completely, at least an hour, then break it into the pieces. Store in a dry container.