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Mysore pak

Steam escaping through the greased flour is what makes it porous.

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

Ingredients

Method

  1. STEAM ESCAPING THROUGH THE GREASED FLOUR IS WHAT MAKES IT POROUS, and its article explains the mechanism rather than just the steps: MOISTURE FROM THE SUGAR SYRUP ESCAPES AS STEAM THROUGH THE GREASED GRAM FLOUR RENDERING MYSOREPAK POROUS. EXCESS GHEE, IF ANY, MAY FILL IN SUCH PORES RENDERING IT DENSE. So the same three ingredients give a honeycombed sweet or a solid one, and the difference is whether the last of the ghee was absorbed or left standing.
  2. WHICH MEANS THE GHEE IS ADDED UNTIL IT STOPS GOING IN, AND THEN NO MORE. Three hundred and fifty grams is a lot and most of it will be taken up. Stop the moment a spoonful sits on the surface instead of disappearing.
  3. AND THE SYRUP STAGE IS THE SKILL. The article says A KEY FEATURE OF MYSOREPAK IS THE MASTERY REQUIRED TO CONTROL THE SUGAR-SYRUP STAGE, RANGING FROM THREAD CONSISTENCY TO SOFTBALL STAGE WHICH INFLUENCES THE FINAL FUDGY AND CRUNCHY TEXTURE. Thread consistency gives the fudgy one; a softball stage gives the crunchy, porous one this method aims at.
  4. ROAST THE GRAM FLOUR IN A LITTLE OF THE GHEE FIRST. The article's order is SUGAR SYRUP TO A PRECISE CONSISTENCY, THEN GRADUALLY ADDING ROASTED GRAM FLOUR (BESAN) AND HOT GHEE. Roasted, so five minutes over a low heat until it smells of biscuits.
  5. KEEP THE REST OF THE GHEE HOT IN A SECOND PAN. The article says HOT GHEE, and it matters: cold ghee added to boiling syrup drops the temperature and the mixture seizes.
  6. ADD THE FLOUR TO THE SYRUP, THEN THE GHEE A LADLE AT A TIME, STIRRING WITHOUT STOPPING. CONSTANT STIRRING IS REQUIRED TO ENSURE SMOOTHNESS AND PREVENT LUMPS. It will froth and rise each time ghee goes in. That froth is the steam the article describes, and it is the sweet being made.
  7. IT IS READY WHEN IT BEGINS TO LEAVE THE SIDES OF THE PAN. The article's own cue. By then it will be pale gold and full of small bubbles.
  8. POUR IT INTO A GREASED TRAY AND CUT IT BEFORE IT IS COLD. POURED INTO A GREASED TRAY, WHERE IT SETS AND IS CUT INTO CUBES OR RECTANGULAR BLOCKS. Score it after five minutes and separate the pieces after twenty; cold and porous, it shatters rather than cuts.

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.

Filed under India · All recipes