Panjiri is healthy, nutritious, and has sweet, savoury, spicy undertones.
Hina Gujral takes the powdered delicacy a step further and shapes it like a barfi by soaking it in sugar syrup.
"This is a traditional recipe from my Kumaoni family made with dry fruits, gond or edible gum, and spices," says the chef from Bengaluru.
Turmeric adds a beautiful golden colour to the panjiri squares, that can be relished with a cup of hot chai.
Hina was a banker before she decided to become a blogger. This vegan chef is author of the book The 100 Best Curries.
Made on the occasion of Janmashtami, Hina's Panjiri is vegan and gluten-free. Happy Janmashtami, dear readers.
Panjiri
Serves: 4-5
Ingredients
- 200 gm, around 1 cup makhana or lotus nuts or foxnuts
- 100 gm, around ½ cup desiccated coconut
- ¼ cup chopped or almonds
- ¼ cup chopped pistachios
- ¼ cup peanuts
- 1 tbsp edible gond or gum
- 2 tsp dhania or coriander seeds
- 1 tsp ajwain or carom seeds
- 2 tsp saunth or dry ginger powder
- ½ tsp haldi or turmeric powder, optional
- 1 tbsp powdered sugar or icing sugar
- 2 tsp green elaichi or cardamom powder
- 4 tbsp coconut oil
For the sugar syrup
- 2 cup sugar
- ½ cup water
- Square baking pan
- 1 tsp coconut oil for greasing the pan
Method
- In a kadhai or frying pan, over low heat, dry roast the ajwain and the coriander seeds till it releases an aroma.
Grind into a coarse powder in a mixer/blender.
Transfer to a bowl and keep aside. - Heat 1 tbsp of the coconut oil in the same frying pan over low heat.
Add the gond or gum and fry till it pops up and expands in size.
Take off heat and keep aside. - Heat the remaining coconut oil in a small frying pan or skillet.
Fry the makhana, nuts till crisp and crunchy over low heat.
Take off heat and once cool, grind in a mixer/blender with the fried gond.
Transfer to a large mixing bowl.
Add the desiccated coconut, cardamom powder, ginger powder, turmeric powder, powdered sugar, and the powdered and roasted coriander seeds and ajwain.
Mix well and keep aside. - To make the sugar syrup, heat the sugar and water in a saucepan over medium-low heat.
Stir till the sugar dissolves.
Let the sugar syrup simmer over medium heat until it thickens to a 1-2 thread consistency (please see the note below). - Grease a large square baking pan with the 1 tsp ghee.
Once the sugar syrup is ready, take off heat.
Fold the powdered mixture into the warm sugar syrup and stir.
Pour the mixture into the baking pan.
Using a spatula spread out the mixture evenly.
Refrigerate 15-20 minutes or leave out and let it set at room temperature.
Once the panjiri sets, with a sharp knife cut into squares and serve.
Editor's Note: A one or two-thread syrup is sugar syrup viscous enough to pass the one or two-thread test.
It is important to keep testing for consistency while the sugar syrup is boiling.
The test for this is: Dip a spatula, preferably wooden, into the boiling sugar syrup and take out.
Some syrup would have coated the spatula.
Let it cool.
Touch the cooled syrup with your forefinger. Some syrup will come onto your finger.
Touch that with your thumb and separate thumb from forefinger.
When one or two little continuous delicate threads are formed by the syrup, when the coated forefinger is pulled away from your thumb, you have either a one or two-thread consistency sugar syrup.
