Ingredients
- 1/2 cup sesame seeds
- 1 1/2 cup peanuts
- 1 cup jaggery
- 2 tbsp ghee
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp green cardamom powder
How to make Peanut & Sesame Gajak
Note: to store the gajak, remove the squares from the cookie sheet and place in an air tight jar and keep away from heat. Trivia Sweets made with sesame or til are served to Maa Durga (Hindu Goddess) on the 9th day of Navratri. Devotees believe it brings them safety from accidents and removes fear of death. Peanuts are not actually nuts! Peanuts are legumes and grow underground enclosed in shells Incans of Peru in 1500 B.C. used peanuts during sacrificial rituals and enclosed their dead with them to help in their afterlife. Sesame seeds hold religious value for the Hindu faith. They are considered sacred and believed to bring immortality. Mourners offer jars of sesame to the dead to help in their passing to heaven. |