#HAPPYDIWALI: SHAKARPAALE FROM MY KITCHEN

It’s Diwali, the festival of lights and a time to indulge in some sumptuous sweet delights. Since everyone is adding to the festive cheer with traditional recipes, I thought of making a very traditional sweet, SHAKARPAALE to celebrate the occasion with friends. The most popular version of this sweet is a deep fried one made with refined flour and is crispy in texture. However, the Kokani Muslim one is that made of semolina, not deep-fried and has a crumbly texture.

So, here is my recipe for adding a sweet touch to Diwali celebrations today:

Yield: 10-12 pieces
Cooking Time: 60 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1½ cup Semolina (suji/rawa)
• ¾ cup Sugar
• ¾ cup Milk
• 2 tsp Ghee
• ¼ tsp Green cardamom powder
• 1 pinch Salt
• Ghee for greasing

Method:

1. Grease a 25 cm diameter thali, knife and the bottom of a 10 cm diameter heavy bowl with ghee. Keep aside.
2. Add the semolina to a kadhai and roast on a low flame for about 15 minutes or until the semolina gives out a roasted aroma but its white colour does not change. Remove semolina from the kadhai and keep aside.
3. Heat milk in the same kadhai on a low flame.
4. Add the cardamom powder, sugar and ghee once the milk turns hot stirring continuously. Allow this mixture to boil for 5 minutes to thicken it a bit.
5. Add the roasted semolina to the milk mixture now stirring continuously on low flame for 15 minutes or until the mixture leaves the sides of the kadhai and becomes one large lump.
6. Remove the lump from the kadhai onto the greased thali and spread it out in the thali beating it with the greased bottom bowl into a sheet of ½ cm or desired thickness.
7. Make cuts into the sheet while the sheet is still hot to achieve diamond shaped pieces.
8. Cool the sheet and then release each piece gradually starting from the sides.
9. Pack in air tight container and store.

Do try the recipe and let me know how it turned out.

Till then, HAPPY #LADDUDAY HAPPY EATING...