Panjiri facts for kids
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| Alternative names | Kasaar |
|---|---|
| Course | Dessert |
| Place of origin | Indian subcontinent |
| Main ingredients | Whole-wheat flour, sugar, ghee, dried fruits, herbal gums |
Panjiri is a yummy and healthy traditional sweet dish from North India. It's made by frying whole-wheat flour in sugar and a special kind of butter called ghee. It's also packed with lots of dried fruits and natural plant gums. People often eat Panjiri to stay warm in winter or as a healthy snack.
It is popular in many North Indian states. These include Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Jammu, Himachal Pradesh, Bihar, and Uttar Pradesh.
Contents
What is Panjiri?
Panjiri is a special sweet dish from North India. It's made with whole-wheat flour, sugar, and ghee (a type of clarified butter). It also has many dried fruits and natural plant gums mixed in.
This tasty treat is often eaten for its health benefits. It can help people feel stronger and warmer, especially during cold winter months. It's also traditionally given to women after they have a baby. This helps them heal and produce milk.
Where Does the Name Come From?
The word panjīrī comes from old Sanskrit words. Panch means "five" and jīraka means "cumin." This is because Panjiri often has five main spices or ingredients. These can include cumin, coriander, and dry ginger powder.
Other Ways Panjiri is Used
Panjiri is very popular across North India. It is often prepared as a special offering called Prasad during Hindu prayers. People make it for important festivals like Krishna Janmashtami and Satyanarayan Puja.
What's in Panjiri?
Panjiri is full of healthy and tasty ingredients. Here are some of the main things you might find in it:
- Whole-wheat flour (sometimes sooji or semolina is used)
- Ghee (clarified butter)
- Chaar magaz (these are four types of melon seeds)
- Sugar (often powdered sugar called boora)
- Almonds
- Powdered edible gum crystals (called gondh)
- Flame-of-the-forest (a plant extract called kamarkas)
- Fennel seeds (Saunf)
- Puffed lotus seeds (makhane)
- Carom seeds (ajwain)
- Powdered cardamom seeds (elaichi)
- Powdered dried ginger (saunth)
- Walnuts (akhrot)
- Figs (anjeer)
- Unsalted pistachio nuts (pista)
How to Make Panjiri
Making Panjiri involves roasting and mixing many ingredients. It's a fun process that creates a delicious and healthy snack.
Step-by-Step Cooking
- First, heat about 500 grams of ghee in a large, heavy pan.
- Next, fry all the dried fruits one by one until they turn golden brown. Start with almonds, then cashew nuts, walnuts, pistachio nuts, lotus seeds, and finally, melon seeds. Take them out and set them aside.
- In the same ghee, fry the kamarkas (flame-of-the-forest) and set them aside too.
- After that, roast any grated coconut you are using and keep it separate.
- Now, coarsely grind most of the fried dried fruits. Don't grind the melon seeds. Mix the ground dried fruits, roasted coconut, and melon seeds in a big bowl. Grind the kamarkas into a fine powder.
- Heat the rest of the ghee in the pan. Roast the whole-wheat flour over medium heat. Stir it until it turns golden brown and the ghee starts to separate from the flour.
- Turn down the heat. Sprinkle in the powdered gum crystals (gondh). Keep stirring until the crystals puff up and stop making crackling sounds.
- Add the powdered dry ginger (saunth) and carom seeds (ajwain) to the roasted flour. Stir everything well until it's all mixed.
- Turn off the heat, but keep stirring the mixture for another 5 to 10 minutes. This helps it cool down evenly.
- Finally, add the dried fruits, melon seeds, sugar, and kamarkas to the roasted flour mixture. Mix everything together really well.
- Spread the mixture onto a large dish or tray and let it cool completely.
- Once it's cool, store your delicious Panjiri in an airtight container.
