Celebrate Independence Day with Ghevar & Mysore Pak – Easy Recipes

If you are counting calories, off you go, for this article is not for the calorie-conscious. Ghee and sugar are the essence of the recipes below; take those away, and you’ll have something on your hands that will make even the toughest sweetmeat makers weep. We’ve got you if you are looking for recipes on how to make Ghevar or an even sweeter fix – a traditional Mysore Pak recipe. Both can be nauseatingly sweet, so Independence Day is the perfect occasion to hand them out during a gathering or after the flag-hoisting ceremony.

Ghevar

(Makes 14 Ghevar)

Ingredients

• 225 gm ghee
• 1 large ice block
• 500 gm maida
• 250 ml milk, chilled
• 1.5 liters water, chilled
• 10 ml lemon juice
• ½ tsp cardamom powder
• Dry fruits and silver vark (edible foil) for garnishing

For the sugar syrup

• 125 ml water
• 400 gm sugar

Instructions

1. Take a proper utensil, perhaps a large kadhai, add all of the ghee and using the large ice blocks start rubbing into the ghee. Be quick with your movements, the ghee will soon start to thicken and start to solidify and turn whitish.
2. Discard the ice and add maida. Use fingertips to mix, don’t knead.
3. Add the chilled milk next and roughly mix.
4. Then add ⅓ of the cold water and mix to form a thick batter. Add half of the remaining cold water and whisk until smooth and velvety.
5. Now, add the lemon juice and the rest of the cold water. Whisk until incorporated. You’ll have a runny but smooth batter.
6. Heat oil in a nonstick pan, not too large. The diameter will equal the size of the Ghevar.
7. Once it starts to steam, take a ladle full of the batter, which should be approx 2 tbsp. In circular motions, spanning a few sounds pour a little batter into the hot oil. Do it around 10-15 times and be careful to keep a safe distance from the oil to avoid burns.
8. Once the ladle is empty, use a knife to loosen the Ghevar from the pan’s edges. Let the Ghevar brown, then carefully use a spoon to scoop out the delicate thing, letting the oil drain off.
9. Pour the prepared sugar syrup over the Ghevar. Sprinkle cardamom powder and garnish with nuts and silver foil or vrak. You can also eat it with Rabri.
10. Repeat with the remaining batter, sugar syrup, and garnishes.

Tips & Tricks

• Using ice-cold water in arresting the gluten formation in the flour, to yield a light batter, and perfect for achieving the signature ghevar texture. Make sure to keep the water chilled throughout the preparation.
• The batter should be thin enough to flow freely when poured from a ladle but thick enough to not splatter excessively. If it's too thin, the batter won't form a structure in the oil; if too thick, it will lump and sink.
• Pour the batter from a height, and not at a closer distance, about 6 inches above the oil surface, in a thin stream to create that honeycomb design. Do it in intervals to let the batter spread and set before pouring more.
• Keep the ghee or oil at a medium temperature. Too hot, and the batter burns before forming; too cool, and the batter soaks oil and becomes greasy. Test the heat by dropping a tiny amount – it should rise gradually with bubbles.
• Place fried ghevar on a wire rack to cool. Avoid stacking while hot, or they’ll turn soggy from steam. Let them crisp up before adding syrup or toppings.
• Cook the sugar syrup to a one-string consistency; any thicker, it will harden. If thinner, it won’t coat properly. Pour the warm syrup over the cooled ghevar.
• For a festive touch, top with saffron-infused rabri, silver varq, rose petals, or even flavored whipped cream. These add elegance and a layer of richness to the dessert.

Mysore Pak

(Serves 24 people)

Ingredients:

• 240 gm besan or gram flour
• 700 gm sugar
• 240 ml water
• 480 ml ghee
• 240ml oil

Instructions

1. Take a baking tray large enough to hold 24 pieces of the mithai. Grease with ghee and set aside.
2. Take a large bowl and place a sieve in it. Add the besan and shake it to filter out the besan. Do this twice to get the finest besan. Divide into three parts and set aside
3. Put a kadhai on the stove on medium-low heat. Pour the ghee followed by the oil. Let it heat while you make the sugar syrup.
4. Take a deep non-stick pan that is also wide and pour water, followed by the sugar. Keep stirring until the liquid has a one-string consistency. To check, scoop out a portion of the sugar water, let it cool, rub between fingers, and pull them apart; you'll notice a sugar string between them.
5. To the hot pan with bubbling sugar syrup, add one part of the besan. Make sure it's bubbling before adding, otherwise your Mysore Pak won't be porous.
6. Mix until the besan is blended with the syrup. Once the besan in the pan has zero lumps and smooth, add another bowl of the besan. Repeat the same mixing process, add the last bowl of the besan and mix until lump-free.
7. Take a ladle full of the hot oil-ghee mixture from the kadhai and put into the pan, carefully. It'll sizzle, otherwise it isn't hot enough. Stir immediately to combine. Repeat until all of it is used up.
8. Your Mysore Pak, towards its finishing stage, will be porous and bubbly.
9. The mithai will soon start to leave the edges of the pan. Once it does that quickly transfer to the greased pan. Smooth the top and let it cool at room temperature for 15 minutes.
10. Once cooled, invert on a cutting board and cut into equal pieces.
11. Make sure the Mysore Pak is fully cooled before storing it in any container.

Tips & Tricks

• Soft Mysore Pak requires a lot of ghee, as the ghee acts as a medium for cooking and gives the sweet its iconic melty quality. Hot ghee should be added in small quantities while stirring continuously.
• Always sift the besan (gram flour) before roasting to remove lumps and ensure even cooking. Dry roast slightly before adding ghee to remove the raw smell.
• Sugar syrup should be just one string, not as thick as for gulab jamuns. Dip your thumb and forefinger in the syrup and pull apart; a single thread should form.
• Don’t dump all the ghee at once. Add it in small batches as the mixture thickens and starts bubbling.
• Once the mixture starts leaving the sides and becomes frothy, immediately pour it into a greased tray. Delay by even 30 seconds, and the texture will be grainy and dense.
• Wait only a minute or two before cutting into shapes. If it cools completely, it becomes brittle and breaks unevenly. Use a greased, sharp knife for clean edges.
• Let the pieces cool fully in the tray before transferring. Store in an airtight box lined with parchment to maintain softness for up to 4–5 days.