AI-generated image
Panjiri
پنجیری (panjiri): roasted wholewheat flour with ghee, nuts, seeds and edible gum for winter and new mothers
When a baby is born in a Punjabi home, one of the first things the grandmothers do is roast a huge karahi of panjiri, loose, golden crumbs of wholewheat flour fried in ghee and mixed with sugar, nuts, seeds, makhana and crunchy fried gond, meant to warm and strengthen the new mother through the forty days after birth. The same mixture is made in every household from Sialkot to Bahawalpur when the winter cold sets in, eaten by the spoonful with hot milk at night or sprinkled over a bowl of milk for breakfast. It tastes nutty, toasty and lightly sweet, with crunch in every mouthful. The usual way it goes wrong is roasting the flour too fast on a high flame, which browns the outside while the inside still tastes raw. Chef's tip: roast the flour slowly until it is the colour of pale biscuit and smells like baking cookies, and add the sugar only once the flour has cooled, so it stays crunchy rather than melting.
- Total time
- 40 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 15
Ingredients
For the panjiri
- 7 oz ghee
- 1 oz edible gum (gond) (optional)
- 1 oz fox nuts (makhana)
- 2 ⅛ oz almondsroughly chopped
- 1 ⅜ oz cashewsroughly chopped
- 1 ⅜ oz desiccated coconut
- 10 ½ oz wholewheat flour (chapati atta)
- 1 tsp fennel seedslightly crushed
- 1 tsp ground cardamom
- 1 /2 tsp ground dry ginger (sonth)
- 6 ½ oz caster or powdered sugar
Shop this recipe on Amazon
What you'll need
Spices & pantry
Links open Amazon in a new tab. As an Amazon Associate, WhatToEat.Today earns from qualifying purchases.
Method
0/8 doneStep 1: Heat 3 tbsp of 1 ⅜ oz ghee in a heavy karahi over a medium-low heat and fry 1 oz edible gum (gond) in small batches for about 1 minute each, until each piece puffs and turns white; lift out and crush lightly.
4 minStep 2: In the same ghee fry 1 oz fox nuts (makhana) for 2–3 minutes until crisp, then lift out and crush roughly.
3 minStep 3: Fry 2 ⅛ oz almonds and 1 ⅜ oz cashews for 2–3 minutes until golden, lift out, then toast 1 oz melon seeds (char magaz) and 1 ⅜ oz desiccated coconut for 1 minute until lightly coloured and lift out.
3 minStep 4: Add the rest of 5 ½ oz ghee and 10 ½ oz wholewheat flour (chapati atta) to the karahi and roast over a low heat, stirring continuously, for 18–20 minutes until the flour is an even biscuit brown, loose and sandy, and smells nutty.
20 minStep 5: Stir in 1 tsp fennel seeds and 1 /2 tsp ground dry ginger (sonth) for the last minute, then take off the heat.
1 minStep 6: Spread the flour on a tray and leave it to cool until just warm.
Step 7: Mix in 1 tsp ground cardamom, 6 ½ oz caster or powdered sugar and all the fried nuts, seeds, makhana and gond.
Step 8: Store in an airtight jar for up to a month and eat by the spoonful, or with a glass of hot milk.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 330 kcal
- Protein
- 6 g
- Carbs
- 32 g
- Fat
- 20 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does panjiri take?
- About 40 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 15 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- 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 ghee?
- Butter, same amount (keep the heat a little lower, butter burns sooner).
- What can I use instead of fennel seeds?
- Aniseeds, same amount (a stronger liquorice taste).
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
Nutty 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.
Indian
Farari jambu
The fasting-day gulab jambu: soft balls of mawa (khoya) and mashed potato bound with cassava flour, scented with saffron and cardamom, fried slowly to a deep golden brown and soaked in cardamom syrup with pistachios and almonds. Soak them for 3–4 hours so they turn juicy all the way through. Makes 35 small jambu.
Sago & dry fruit kheer
A creamy, chilled kheer of small sago pearls simmered in milk with sugar, pistachios, almonds, cashews, cardamom and saffron, then mixed with a separate milk of apricots, figs and raisins and fresh green grapes. It's sweet, fragrant and full of texture. A party-size dessert for fasting days or festivals. Serves 15.
