AI-generated image
Gato zinzli
Sesame caramel sweets
Gato zinzli: crunchy Mauritian sesame and caramel sweets for Divali plates
Zinzli is the Mauritian Creole word for sesame, and gato zinzli are the little amber squares or drops of toasted sesame set in caramelised sugar that crowd the edge of every Divali plate on the island, next to moutaille and cravate. They are close to the til chikki of India but made with white sugar, a squeeze of lime and a little vanilla, so they are glassy, crunchy and nutty. Common mistake: taking the caramel off too early, which gives chewy sweets that stick to your teeth; cook the sugar to a light amber, about the hard-crack stage, when a drop in cold water snaps cleanly. Chef's tip: have everything oiled and ready before you start, because once the sesame goes in you have only a minute or two to shape it.
- Total time
- 30 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 20
Ingredients
For the sweets
- 7 oz white sesame seeds
- 5 ½ oz sugar
- 3 tbsp water
- ½ tsp lime juice
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp vegetable oilfor greasing
Shop this recipe on Amazon
What you'll need
Spices & pantry
Fresh ingredients (1)
Links open Amazon in a new tab. As an Amazon Associate, WhatToEat.Today earns from qualifying purchases.
Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Toast 7 oz white sesame seeds in a dry pan over a medium-low heat for 4–5 minutes, stirring, until light gold and crackling. Tip onto a plate.
5 minStep 2: Grease a baking tray, a rolling pin and a knife with 1 tsp vegetable oil.
2 minStep 3: Heat 5 ½ oz sugar, 3 tbsp water and ½ tsp lime juice in a heavy pan over a medium heat without stirring, swirling the pan, for 8–10 minutes until it turns light amber and a drop in cold water snaps.
10 minStep 4: Take off the heat, stir in ½ tsp vanilla extract and the sesame quickly until coated.
1 minStep 5: Tip onto the tray, roll to 5 mm thick and cut into small squares while still warm, or drop spoonfuls into little rounds. Leave to harden for 15 minutes, then break apart and store airtight.
3 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 110 kcal
- Protein
- 2 g
- Carbs
- 10 g
- Fat
- 7 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does gato zinzli take?
- About 30 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 20 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of white sesame seeds?
- Poppy seeds or finely chopped pumpkin seeds, same amount.
- What can I use instead of sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.
Rate this recipe
Sign in to rate and review this recipe.
You might also like
KhurmiWheat and jaggery biscuits
Khurmi are the sweet half of Chhattisgarh's Teeja-Pola festival snacks, made in big batches alongside the salty thethri. The dough is wheat flour and a little semolina bound with melted jaggery, studded with sesame and coconut, then cut into diamonds or pressed into small patterned shapes and fried until dark gold. They have a hard, crunchy bite and a deep caramel flavour, and they last for weeks in a steel dabba, ready for visitors and children back from school. Chef's tip: cool the jaggery water to lukewarm before kneading; hot jaggery makes a slack dough that spreads and soaks up oil.
Indian
MuscatSemolina milk sweet
Walk past the Muslim sweet shops of Pettah in Colombo or the old trading streets of Beruwala before Eid and you will see trays of muscat, dense, jewel-like diamonds that are glossy with ghee and studded with cashews. The texture is the whole appeal: firm and chewy, almost like a soft Turkish delight, with a sweet, buttery, cardamom-scented flavour, and it is shared with neighbours at Eid, weddings and the Avurudu table. Traditional cooks extract the starch from wheat flour; this home version soaks and blends semolina, then strains it, which gives the same clear, bouncy set. Most failures come from adding the ghee too quickly, so it pools on top instead of being absorbed; pour it in a spoonful at a time and keep stirring. Chef's tip: the muscat is done when it rolls into a single glossy mass that leaves the pan clean and the ghee starts to seep back out at the edges.
Sri Lankan
Nutty datesChocolate nut dates
A quick, rich sweet of dates melted down in butter, then mixed with milk chocolate, chopped nuts, coconut and rice krispies and pressed into a tray. It's chewy, chocolatey and crisp. Makes about 30 diamonds; keep them in the fridge and serve cold.