Born in the royal kitchens of Mysore, this South Indian sweet is traditionally made with gram flour, sugar and plenty of ghee. This Zeroh version keeps the same rich besan-and-ghee foundation while replacing regular sugar with Zeroh.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 25–30 minutes
Setting Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 12 pieces
Ingredients
1 cup besan (gram flour)
1 cup Zeroh
6 tbsp water
½ cup ghee, for mixing with the besan
6–8 tbsp ghee, for adding while cooking
1 tbsp ghee, for greasing the tray
Method
Prepare the besan
Sieve the besan twice to remove lumps and make it fine and smooth.
Unlike some besan sweets, traditional Mysore Pak does not require heavily roasting the flour. The besan gets cooked later in the hot sweet mixture.
Make the besan-ghee mixture
Melt ½ cup ghee if needed.
Add the ghee gradually to the sieved besan and mix well until you get a smooth, lump-free paste.
Set aside.
Prepare the Zeroh mixture
Grease a small 6–7 inch tray generously with ghee and keep it ready.
Add Zeroh and water to a heavy-bottomed kadai or pan.
Heat gently, stirring until the Zeroh dissolves completely.
With Zeroh, focus on the visual and textural cues of the mixture rather than waiting for a one-string sugar syrup.
Add the besan
Keep the heat on low to medium.
Add the prepared besan-ghee mixture to the hot Zeroh mixture all at once.
Stir continuously and quickly until the mixture becomes completely uniform and there are no lumps.
Add more ghee
Now begin adding the remaining ghee in small batches.
Add a little ghee, stir continuously and allow the mixture to absorb it before adding more.
Keep repeating this process. The mixture will gradually become thicker, glossy and more aromatic.
Don't simply pour all the ghee in at once. Gradual addition is important for getting the characteristic rich texture of Mysore Pak.
Watch for the final consistency
As the mixture cooks, it will become thick and begin pulling away from the sides of the pan.
When the mixture becomes thick, glossy and starts leaving the pan, stop cooking.
Don't continue cooking just to achieve a darker colour. Overcooking can make the Mysore Pak dry and crumbly.
Set the Mysore Pak
Immediately transfer the mixture to the greased tray. Lightly level the surface with a greased spoon.
Let it cool for about 5–10 minutes, then score it into squares or rectangles while it is still slightly warm.
Allow it to cool completely before separating the pieces.
Nutrition Note
Chickpea flour provides plant protein, fibre, folate, iron and magnesium. Ghee, however, is used generously in Mysore Pak and makes it a very energy-dense sweet.
Recipe Tips
- Sieve the besan well. Lumps are much harder to remove once the mixture starts cooking.
- Use a heavy-bottomed pan so the mixture cooks evenly.
- Keep the heat controlled. Mysore Pak can burn quickly once the mixture becomes thick.
- Add the ghee gradually and make sure each addition is incorporated before adding more.
- Keep your greased tray ready before you start cooking the final mixture. Once Mysore Pak reaches the right consistency, you need to move quickly.
- Don't chase the traditional dark golden colour. Colour can vary depending on the pan and cooking time.
- Score the pieces while the Mysore Pak is still warm. Once completely cool, it becomes harder to cut neatly.
- Store completely cooled pieces in an airtight container.
Rich besan. Plenty of ghee. That unmistakable melt-in-the-mouth texture.
