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Lyangcha

Fried hard, boiled in hot syrup, then left for hours in cold scented syrup until it goes soft.

Vegetarian, but not vegan — contains dairy (ghee), dairy (khoa).

Ingredients

Method

  1. FRIED HARD, BOILED IN HOT SYRUP, THEN LEFT FOR HOURS IN COLD SCENTED SYRUP UNTIL THE HARD PIECES GO SOFT. Its article sets out every stage, and that three-stage ending is the dish. The fried pieces ARE THEN BOILED INTO THE SUGAR SYRUP. ONCE DONE, THEY ARE BROUGHT BACK TO A TUB CONTAINING COLD ROSE-FLAVORED OR ELAICHI FLAVORED SUGAR SYRUP. KEPT FOR FEW HOURS UNTOUCHED, THESE HARD PIECES BECOME SOFT AND JUICY. Two syrups at two temperatures, and the second one is where the sweet actually happens.
  2. THE DOUGH IS KHOA AND FLOUR, AND THE ARTICLE IS HONEST ABOUT THE SUBSTITUTION. It names khoya -- A FORM OF SOLID MILK -- as what the sweet is made from, and says that DUE TO THE UNAVAILABILITY OF KHOYA AT TIMES, OFTEN MILK POWDER IS USED INSTEAD OF IT. Khoa is the better one, as on its own page.
  3. MIX IT WITH SODA AND WATER, AND WORK THE GHEE IN A LITTLE AT A TIME. Its words: THE FLOUR AND MILK POWDER IS MIXED THOROUGHLY WITH SODA AND WATER AND MADE INTO A DOUGH. GHEE IS ADDED MAKING THE DOUGH AT CONSTANT INTERVALS.
  4. THEN IT IS LEFT ALONE FOR HOURS. THE DOUGH IS KEPT UNTOUCHED FOR FEW HOURS. Two is enough. It slackens and stops springing back, and shaped straight away the pieces crack in the fryer.
  5. SHAPE CYLINDERS BY HAND, NOT BALLS. THE DOUGH IS DIVIDED INTO CYLINDRICAL SHAPED PIECES WITH HAND. About eight centimetres long and three thick, rolled between the palms and tapered slightly at the ends.
  6. FRY THEM UNTIL THEY ARE STIFF AND HARD, WHICH IS LONGER THAN LOOKS RIGHT. THE CYLINDRICAL PIECES ARE THEN DEEP-FRIED IN OIL UNTIL A BROWN CRUST IS FORMED AROUND AND THEY TURN STIFF AND HARD. Start in moderate oil and let it climb; fifteen minutes, turning, until they are dark brown and rattle against the spoon. A soft one will fall apart in the syrup.
  7. BOIL THEM IN THE HOT SYRUP FOR TEN MINUTES. Sugar and the litre of water brought to the boil, the fried pieces in, a lazy boil. They darken and begin to give.
  8. THEN INTO COLD SYRUP, SCENTED, FOR AT LEAST FOUR HOURS AND BETTER OVERNIGHT. Lift them out, let the remaining syrup cool completely, stir in the cardamom and rose water -- the article offers either -- and submerge them. They go from hard to soaked through. Scent added to boiling syrup would be gone by morning, which is why this syrup is the cold one.

Our own recipe. This one was written for this site rather than taken from anywhere, so there is no source to point you at. The quantities and the order of the steps are choices, not the only way to do it.

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