Monday, October 14, 2013

MYSORE PAK | GHEE MYSORE PA | DIWALI SWEET RECIPE

MYSOREPA
Hi and welcome to Indian Veg Kitchen - home of authentic vegetarian recipes. Since Diwali is round the corner, I had chosen my Signature recipe for Mysore Pa to be the first post. Mysore Pak - just the thought of this word tickles the palate and leaves us drooling! It has been one of the traditional Indian sweets which has a special place in festive 'Seer menu'. Mysore Pak used to be slightly hard and crunchy with a honeycomb texture. But when Krishna Sweets introduced the 'Melt-in-the-mouth' version of MYSORE PA, its exotic rich taste became a benchmark. I had tried several combinations of ingredients and techniques to re-create that Mysore Pa and finally ended up with this recipe. Trust me, the addition of one simple secret ingredient makes it taste exactly like the ones we relish at Krishna sweets. And....the secret ingredient is Khoa / Koya. I normally prepare this Khoa each time before preparing the Mysore Pa. There is a very easy Microwave recipe too which I shall share here soon. But, you can use store-bought Khoa too.When I tried this for the first time 13 years back, I remember using 'Aavin unsweetened Khoa'. The Khoa incorporates an unique delectable flavour to the Mysore pa and makes it heavenly. Off to the recipe!
MYSOREPA








PREPARATION TIME - 5 MINUTES
COOKING TIME  -   40 MINUTES
YIELDS - 18 BIG PIECES (approx.)

INGREDIENTS

MILK
1 CUP
BESAN / KADALA MAAVU / GRAM FLOUR
1 CUP
SUGAR
2 CUPS
GHEE
2CUPS
       

INGREDIENTS


METHOD

1. In a heavy bottomed vessel (like the ones made of Indolium), bring milk to boil. Once it starts boiling, reduce the flame to medium-low and stir now and then, scraping the milk solids off the sides of the vessel.. Do not leave it unattended as milk tends to scorch as it gets thicker.

       

2. In about 15-20 minutes, the milk would have thickened to 1/4th cup (one-fourth of the original volume) and it would have turned beige in colour. Our Khoa is now ready to be used in Mysorepa.

   

3.   The actual Mysore pa procedure starts now. Grease a tray or a plate with ghee and keep aside. In a wide, heavy bottomed pan, add 1 teaspoon of ghee and roast the Gram flour on a low flame. DO NOT skip this step as this is important to get rid of the raw smell of Gram flour. But, make sure you fry on a LOW flame so that the flour doesn't become brown in colour. Turn off the flame when it emits a nice aroma.

4.   Let it cool for 3-4 minutes and sift the roasted flour. This ensures the silky smooth texture we all love. You can use the back of a ladle to break the lumps and sieve it through.

       

5.    Meanwhile, heat the ghee on a low flame. It SHOULD be on heat when we keep adding it to our Mysore pa. You will notice the Mysorepa gradually changes from  each time you add hot ghee. But, don't let it boil and turn smoky, let it sit on very low flame.

6.    Now, put sugar in the pan first and slowly pour water over it JUST ENOUGH to soak the sugar. Water should not be less or more. Please check the 'Troubleshoot' section at the end for better understanding.

   

7.     Bring sugar-water mixture to a boil (can use high flame). Keep it going till you get a syrup of ONE THREAD consistency. It takes about 7-9 minutes for this. Again, it depends on the quantity you do. Check using your fingers as shown below.

    

8.    Now, reduce the flame to low and slowly add in the roasted Gram flour throughout the pan. Keep stirring. The low flame at this stage helps to avoid lumps even if you don't stir vigorously.

9.    Once all the flour is blended with the sugar syrup, add the khoa to it and stir well.

   

10.   Now you can increase the flame to medium and start adding hot ghee - 2 tablespoons at a time. Ghee has to be poured evenly on the surface of the flour. It will sizzle and froth up every time you pour the hot ghee.

11.   Within few seconds, the flour mixture would have absorbed the ghee and starts getting thick. Now, add another batch of ghee and continue to stir. Keep repeating the process until the ghee is over. This takes around 5-6 minutes. By now, the mixture would have become thick, with a brownish yellow colour and an amazing aroma.

   

12.    Now, the mixture will start leaving the bottom and sides of the pan. Stirring becomes effortless as it swirls aroung with ease. The bottom of the pan becomes clearly visible.

13.    Turn off the flame and transfer the mixture to the greased tray.

        

14.    Gently pat the tray so that it spreads evenly.Let it sit for 15 minutes. Remember Mysorepa hardens and sets well after you pour down.

15.    Once it sets, cut into pieces. As it is laden with generous amount of ghee, it would be difficult to take the entire big piece out. So, I suggest you cut out a tiny piece first from a corner which will give some space so that you can slightly move and start taking out the pieces one by one.

        

    Delicious Mysorepa is all yours to be enjoyed!







NOTES:

1. If using store bought Khoa, use 1/4 cup for the above flour quantity. It is available at Mustafa centre (near to panneer section) in Singapore.

2. This homemade Khoa can be prepared and refrigerated, but it should be used within 2 days, as it little watery as opposed to the store-bought ones.

VARIATIONS:

1. This Mysorepa is generously laden with sugar and ghee and definitely not a healthy bet.So, if you are health conscious, you can reduce the sugar to 1 or 1 and a half cups, depending upon your needs. It still tastes awesome with less sugar. But remember to add water according to the instruction above.

2.  You can replace 1 cup of ghee with 1 cup of oil. Ghee can be reduced even more but the Mysorepa will still be soft as we add khoa to it.

TROUBLESHOOT:

1.    Mysorepa turns hard. 
  
 Sugar syrup would have gone to more than One-string consistency. Or, Mysorepa was overdone. It should be  transferred to the tray once the correct consistency is attained.     

2.    Mysorepa becomes gooey.

More water was added while preparing the sugar syrup. Or, the syrup hasn't reached the desired One-string consistency.

3.    Mysorepa has the raw smell of Gram flour.

Flour was not roasted until it emits a nice aroma. Or it was not cooked well in the pan. 

4.    Mysorepa is yellow in colour.

The Ghee used was not hot which will not change the colour to the gorgeous light brownish yellow.       

5.     Mysorepa is not set and still runny after being transferred to tray.

No worries. Just transfer back to the pan and stir for sometime until the mixture leaves the sides, adding very little ghee. Do the 'Doneness' check by putting a drop of it and see if could be rolled. Then, transfer back to the greased tray and cut into pieces.

Hope my Notes and illustrations are helpful to you. If you have any queries or suggestions, please feel free to enter them in the 'Comment' section below. 





12 comments :

  1. Congrats on ur first post. Fantastic recipe. Nicely explained. Neat clicks. Welcome to blogging world.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks a lot Jeyashri! You are my inspiration.

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  2. Congrats Suja for your first post!! Good and simple write-ups.. All the best, waiting to taste over weekend!!

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  3. Great suja! Looking forward for more of your signature recipes.

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  4. Congrats! Sujatha! Yummy it looks!!! Easy step-by-step, clear pictorial explanation!.
    Moreover, I like the Notes part which needs attention for best results!. Well done!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Very well done Sujatha. Your tips are awesome and photos superb. Looking forward to more recipes!!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Thanks mami. Happy that you liked the Notes. Hope that helps!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Congratulations for the launch of IndianVegKitchen!!! Recipe very well explained and it was good to see Troubleshooting steps :)
    Cheers!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Many Many Congratulations!!!!!! :)

    ReplyDelete