Mysore Pak

Mysore Pak, traditionally called “Mysuru Paaka” originated in the royal highlands of Karnataka and was mainly served on the occasions of weddings or baby showers. In winters, if you do not mind adding on a little extra calories to your body to be able to use up this reserve energy in maintaining the body temperature, what better than a traditional Indian dessert that satiates your sweet tooth and at the same time gives you good fix of energy. This often square or rectangle shaped delicacy has a homogeneous texture mainly to the tune of baked brown colour. It takes a skilled artisan to make one of these but if you are a budding chef or cooking makes you feel whole, you also can very well prepare it from the comfort of your home!

Health Benefits:

Like all things sweet, this dish is a perfect energy-packed dessert when consumed in moderate amounts. Mysore pak can be your perfect go-to power food in the winters and you can also add nuts to your sweet to make it healthier.

Pack a few pieces of Mysore pak in a Vaya Tyffyn along with fresh, steaming hot lunch and share this handcrafted sweet with colleagues.

Ingredients

besan (chickpea flour): 1 cup

Sugar: 1.5 cups

Ghee: 1 cup

groundnut oil: 1/5 cup

water: 1/2 cup

How To Make Mysore Pak

How to make Mysore pak:

1. Sieve the besan properly so that it contains no lumps.
2. Switch on two burners and put two pans simultaneously so that it is heated properly.
3. Heat the ghee and peanut oil on the Burner 1.
4. Add sugar to the heavy bottomed pan on Burner 2 and add water to it.
5. Boil till 1 string consistency is attained which can be checked by putting some syrup between the fingers.
6. Add 1/3 besan to the bubbling sugar syrup. Stir continuously on the medium flame so that there be no lumps and it mixes properly.
7. Add the other 1/3 part and repeat the same procedure.
8. Repeat the same steps for the remaining portion as well.
9. Blend the flour well with the sugar syrup till the point there are no lumps in it.
10. Add 1 ladle of hot ghee into besan mixture so that it sizzles. Stir it continuously till the ghee is completely absorbed.
11. Repeat the same process till the hot ghee is completely absorbed and the mixture leaves the pan.
12. Transfer the mixture to a rectangular greased pan and level the top with a greased spoon.
13. Leave it aside for 20 minutes so that it cools off.
14. Invert it on a board and cut this into desired sizes.

Note: If your Mysore Pak is darker inside as compared to the top or bottom then you have made it in the most admirable classic way. The reason being that the middle portion retains heat more hence the colour is few shades darker.

Trivia

The Mysore Pak is a South Indian sweet, which originated from Mysuru in Karnataka and is prepared with ghee, sugar, and gram flour to which a little cardamom powder is added to lend a peculiar taste to the pak.

The dish was invented in the Royal kitchen of Mysore palace by a head cook during the reign of Krishna Raja Wadiyar IV. The head chef, Madappa prepared the concoction of ghee, sugar, gram flour, and cardamom. Mysore Pak simply means “The Sweet from Mysore”.

The Paaka Shastra (the book of cooking procedures) in Kannada gives detailed steps for preparation. The sugar syrup is initially made by mixing equal amounts of sugar and water and heating the mixture till we get a sticky syrup. This is the sweetening agent in most of the South Indian desserts. The glaze of the ghee at the top makes the pak look absolutely mouth-watering. The soft delicacy melts in your mouth resulting in an explosion of flavours.