Mysore Pak

I don't remember exactly when I had Mysore Pak for the first time... I must have been very small coz my grandmother always used to make it. It was a long process... getting everything ready.. heating the ghee.. making the sugar syrup..checking for the consistency.. I've never quite understood the one thread consistency concept.. I still remember the bubbling sugar syrup, the Urali in which she used to make the sweet, and the Mysore Pak those days were porous and crisp. Later Sri Krishna sweets came up with a whole new concept of Mysore Pav and wow!!! If you've tasted it you know what I mean when I say it is heaven in your mouth. This is the easiest yet hardest mithai you can ever make. If you lose your concentration even for half a minute you will get a very hard mysore pak...and again if you lose concentration for a minute, you will get a powdery sweet... and if you stop cooking before it is the right consistency, you will get halwa.

 Iam saying this because Ive made this sweet before- once it was over cooked coz I guess i was in a hurry and the flame was high- end result was a powdery sweet... then another time I started to make Mysore Pak but the end result was besan halwa. Then I asked my mom and she told me the trick is the right consistency sugar syrup.

So get ready for half an hour of stirring, stirring and more stirring!!!!!

Bengal Gram Flour: 1 cup
Sugar: 2.5 cups
Ghee:  2.5 cups
water: half to one cup
(Note:for even better melt in the mouth mysore pak, make the ratio 1:3:3 for flour, sugar and ghee... but I cut down 0.5 each on sugar and ghee.... )

In a thick bottomed pan, heat the sugar and water. Make sure the flame is low. And keep stirring.

In another Kadai, heat the ghee. It should  be hot.

Now when the sugar syrup starts bubbling, check for the consistency. it should be one thread consistency.(Take a little amount of the syrup in a spoon and touch it with your forefinger... Now bring your thumb to the forefinger and slowly pull apart.. if it forms a single thread without breaking.. that is one thread consistency!!!)

As soon as this consistency is reached, add the Besan and keep stirring so that no lumps are formed.

When all the Besan is used up and you get a smooth paste, start adding the hot ghee one ladle at a time. yes, keep stirring, don't even stop for a second.

Once all the ghee is used up and the raw smell of the Besan gone, take a little amount of the besan mixture in your palm, if it forms a ball, then it means your Mysore Pak is ready.

Immediately transfer it into a greased tin.Let it stand for a few minutes and when it is still warm, cut into desired shape by inserting a knife. (This is also important coz once it cools, you wont be able to cut it.... and once completely cooled, break it apart where you've inserted the knife)

Linking this recipe to

You can see the announcement at Taste of Pearl City

and

at Chef In You