Daily Recco, October 14: Microwave Mysore Pak to kickstart the festive season

The festival season is here and it is the time of the year when you stop counting calories. There is the rest of the year for that. Festivals are synonymous with sweets and making sweets means a lot of sweat in the kitchen, right? Well, no! You can make the most authentic sweets in a jiffy, thanks to technology.

Today we tell you the tale of the quickest Mysore Pak ever made. And you don’t need to sweat it out, or even turn on the stove, for that matter. This Mysore Pak can be made in the microwave and will taste as good (if not better) as the traditionally-made version. Try making this to beat away those mid-week blues. You will need to put in less than 15 minutes of your time if all is done right.  

A pointer here before you start: The key to making a non-crumbly-yet-soft Mysore Pak is getting the heat right. The standard microwave setting for high heat is 900W. So, familiarise yourself with your microwave’s heat settings before your maiden attempt.

What you’ll need:

Half a cup (125 grams) of besan or gram flour

One cup (250 grams) of powdered white (crystal) sugar

Half a cup (125 grams) of ghee (melted)

Two teaspoons of milk (boiled and cooled)

A metal tray greased with ghee and microwave-safe glass bowl (use a large one)

How to:

Take a tablespoon of ghee in the glass bowl and combine it with the besan. Ensure that you sieve in the besan to avoid any lumps. Microwave it on high power for a minute. You will be able to smell the delicious aroma of the flour and ghee wafting in.

Now add the milk and the ghee to it, and mix it to form a smooth roux. Add in the sugar and microwave the mixture again on high power for a minute. The roux will start thickening and the ghee will start floating on the roux. Do not remove the floating ghee to scrimp on the calories, as the ghee ensures the softness of the Mysore Pak.

Take it out and beat it well with a spoon. Microwave for another minute. Repeat the process of taking it out, mixing it with a spoon and microwave again for 30 seconds this time. By now the roux will be foamy and bubbly.

Transfer this on to a greased plate and let it cool for about 10 minutes. You can top it with slivered almonds and green pistachios at this stage, if you like. But that is purely optional. Once it cools, it will set and you can cut it into parallelograms (like the traditionalist) or simply into square chunks.

In case your microwave had a higher heat setting and your final product turned out to be crumby, fret not. Spread it onto the greased plate, cover with a baking sheet and press it very well with the base of a cup. Be careful as the mixture would be very hot. However, it will set just fine as it cools.

Let it cool further for another five minutes and your delicious Mysore Pak is ready.

You can store this for a couple of days in an airtight container, but we doubt if you can resist the temptation of polishing it all off in one go. However, please keep that calorie counter away — you have been warned!

Also Read | Daily Recco, October 9: Weekend snacking with egg bonda