Mysore pak

Second on my diwali list was mysore pak. Ive attempted to make this thrice (this being my third attempt) and succeeded only now. It came out well, was soft and tasted exactly like the Krishna sweets mysore pak. The only difference this time was I added ghee very slowly and kept stirring it continuously so that the ghee mixes evenly. It actually took me about 25-30 min of continues stirring (yes I dint do much after that as my hands were hurting). Also note the first time I asked someone about this sweet they said its too complicated and difficult to make. With practice and patience (read attempting many times) it can be mastered. This is my entry to this month's JFI - Diwali treats hosted by Vee of Past, Present and Me.

Ingredients:

Bengal gram flour - 1cup
Sugar - 1cup
Water - 1/2 cup
Ghee - 1.5 cups



Method:

Heat sugar and water in a heavy bottomed vessel (a normal sauce pan is good enough) till one-string consistency is reached. This is not a complicated term, all you have to do is take a drop of the sugar solution and press between your forefinger and thumb. When you pull your fingers a little away from each other, the sugar solution should form a thin line between the fingers. Be careful when you do this as the solution is going to be hot. Even though the solution takes a while to reach the one-string consistency it moves to the next stages very soon so be careful to add the other ingredients at the right time. After this consistency is reached add the besan flour in small batches carefully stirring each time to make sure no lumps are formed. This starts an elaborate stirring process so make sure you are prepared for it. Once all the flour is incorporated start adding ghee again in batches and keep stirring till you see all the ghee being absorbed by the mixture. If you see most of the ghee floating then you have not stirred enough. That was the mistake I made in my first attempt cos I was thinking how could it absorb so much ghee so I stopped stirring. The mysore paks did not turn out to be very soft. Anyway once all the ghee is incorporated pour it onto a greased plate. Cut into desired shapes when it is still a little semisolid and let it cool completely. This is where patience is needed cause I mostly dig into mine before it cools down completely. All of this takes practice so dont loose heart in your first attempt. Also if you miss something and it turns out to be a little hard you can always microwave it and have it warm. If you dont get the right sugar solution stage the mixture might never solidify. So what, you can still serve it as besan halwa and the taste is still the same. Good luck to everyone trying this "so called difficult dessert".