Ingredients:
• 2.5 cups -sugar
• 2 cups – khoya
• 3/4 cups – Paneer
• 2 – 3 tbsp – plain flour
• 1/2 tsp – Cardamom powder
• 1 – 2 tbsp – Milk to bind
• 4 cups – water
• 1 pinch – Saffron
• A few drops – rose essence (optional)
Method:
- Grate the Khoya and Paneer and mix well. Add the flour, cardamom powder and mash them all together till everything gets combined well.
- If dry, add a few drops of milk to bind them together.
- Meanwhile prepare the sugar syrup. Combine the sugar and water and bring to a boil.
- Simmer till the syrup reaches a single thread consistency.
- Add the saffron and the essence and stir well. Dip the spoon in the syrup, take it out carefully, touch it with the tip of your forefinger to pick a drop of syrup.
- Touch your forefinger with your thumb and pull apart slowly, to see how many threads are stretched between your finger and thumb.
- When you get a single thread, switch off the stove.
- Now make small balls, about the size of ping pong balls making sure the surface is smooth.
- You can shape it into an oblong or just a disk.
- Heat ghee for deep frying.
- Drop a pinch of dough in it, and if it comes up immediately, then lower the heat to a minimum and drop the balls in the ghee.
- The trick is to keep the heat minimum and cook the balls for a long time till it gets dark.
- If on high heat, the outer layer gets cooked faster but the insides remain uncooked.
- Drop them in the syrup immediately.
- Usually when the temperature is very low, the syrup starts becoming a solid mass soon, so keep it inside a preheated oven to keep it in a liquid state.
- Soak it for a while.
- Decorate it with desiccated coconut or nuts.
- Recipe courtesy: Dhivya Karthik
- http://chefinyou.com/