Follow this traditional mysore pak recipe and celebrate rakhi in style

Rakhi is a time for family to come together and celebrate a special familial bond — that of brothers and sisters. Throughout the day, sweets play a special role. The sister, after tying her brother a rakhi, feeds him some sweet, often something that she has made herself. And of course, with a hearty and delicious dessert like that, everyone is going to be tempted to make some. So here’s a simple and easy to follow mysore pak recipe that you can make for the festival. We want you to look beyond things like Maharashtrian sweets or Kerala famous sweet and instead make this classic dessert, loved by people across the country. Simply follow this guide, pay attention to the details, and you have a delectable dessert on your hands.

Ingredients:

• 200 gms sugar
• 100 gms gram flour (besan)
• 200 gms ghee
• 118.29 ml water

Directions:

• Sieve the gram flour at least twice into a plate to reduce lumps. Otherwise, it will stick together later while cooking.
• Grease a tray with ghee. Set aside.
• In a kadai or pan, add the sugar and half a cup of water and turn to medium heat. Stir regularly until the sugar dissolves completely.
• In another pan, add the ghee and place on low to medium heat. It will start to melt and simmer slightly.
• Once the sugar syrup starts to bubble and boil, add the gram flour to it. First add a quarter of the gram flour, mix it in completely with a whisk until fully dissolved, then add some more of the gram flour and so on. In this way, stirring continuously, add all the gram flour and mix it in.
• Now it's time to add the warm ghee. First add in a ladle full and stir. There will be a lot of bubbling and frothing. This is normal. Keep stirring. Then add in another spoonful of ghee and keep stirring as you add. In this way, stir in all of the ghee and mix thoroughly. If you use a bigger kadhai, it will help with the heat, since there’s a lot of bubbling and sizzling. You can also wear gloves if you prefer.
• Now cook the mixture on medium heat, stirring non stop. If you don't stir, it will stick to the bottom of the pan and burn. Scrape down the sides and drop it back into the middle so that it cooks evenly throughout.
• Soon, the mixture will leave the sides of the kadai and the ghee or fat will get released. Keep stirring and scraping.
• Once you start noticing bubbles and holes in the mixture, you can turn off the heat.
• Immediately pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Level it by hitting the pan against the counter a few times. Set aside to let the mixture cool.
• Once cooled, invert in onto the serving plate or tray. It will fall out as a block. Cut the mysore pak into squares.
• Serve cool.

Notes, tips and tricks:

• Leftover mysore pak can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for about 10 days.
• Once you transfer the mixture to the pan, you can sprinkle some dry fruits like chopped almonds or pistachio slivers on top and slightly press them in, if you want the added texture.
• Make sure you use a thick bottomed kadai since there’s constant and long exposure to heat. If you use a thin pan or kadhai, there’s a high chance that the mixture will burn.
• Do not overcook the mixture or the mysore pak will turn out too hard. As soon as you see bubbles, turn off the heat.
• Once you’ve turned the heat off, you have to transfer it to the pan immediately. Do not delay this process since the mysore pak starts to set.
• If your mysore pak doesn't set, that means it hasnt been cooked enough. Transfer the runny mixture back to the kadhai and cook until the ghee separates and the mixture starts to bubble.
• If your mysore pak is too crumbly, that means it has been overcooked. Not to worry. Simply sprinkle it over ice cream and enjoy.