Madhureem
Pistachio balls filled with mawa and nuts, topped with silver leaf
Madhureem are elegant festive sweets: a smooth, green pistachio coating cooked in syrup wraps a filling of roasted mawa (khoya) and chopped nuts in saffron and cardamom syrup. Each is pressed and topped with edible silver leaf (varakh). Makes 15–20 — a beautiful sweet for weddings and Diwali.
- Total time
- 60 min
- Difficulty
- hard
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
For the coating
For the filling
For decoration
Method
0/8 doneStep 1: For the coating, heat 1 ¾ oz sugar and 3 ½ tbsp milk, stirring until the sugar dissolves, then boil to a two-thread syrup (a drop pressed between finger and thumb forms two threads; see the sugar syrup recipe).
8 minStep 2: Add 5 ½ oz pistachios and cook on a low heat, stirring, until the mixture no longer sticks to your palm. Mix in 1 tbsp ghee and ¼ tsp rose essence and leave to cool a little.
5 minStep 3: For the filling, heat 2 ⅝ oz sugar and ¼ cup milk or water to a one-thread syrup. Add ½ tsp ground cardamom and 1 pinch saffron.
6 minStep 4: Roast 1 ¾ oz mawa (khoya) in 1 tbsp ghee on a low heat until soft and lightly coloured.
4 minStep 5: Add 5 ½ oz mixed nuts (almonds, cashews and pistachios) and the syrup to the mawa and mix well. Leave until cool enough to handle.
Step 6: Divide the pistachio mixture into 15–20 portions and flatten each into a small round in your palm.
Step 7: Put a little of the mawa filling in the centre of each, wrap the coating around it and roll into a smooth ball.
Step 8: Press each ball slightly and decorate with 2 sheets edible silver leaf (varakh). Keep in an airtight box in the fridge.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 290 kcal
- Protein
- 7 g
- Carbs
- 26 g
- Fat
- 18 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does madhureem take?
- About 60 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 8 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- 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 sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
- What can I use instead of milk?
- Oat, soy or almond milk, same amount (use unsweetened for savoury dishes).
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