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Salam pak
સાલમ પાક: rich winter slab of salep root powder cooked with milk, mawa, ghee and nuts, scented with nutmeg and saffron
Salam pak is the grandest of the Gujarati winter paks, made in Kathiawadi and Ahmedabad homes in the cold months and handed out to family as a strengthening sweet. Salam (salep) is the dried, powdered root of a wild orchid sold by Gujarati grocers and Ayurvedic shops; cooked in milk it thickens into a silky, slightly chewy body that mawa, ghee and nuts make luxurious. A frequent mistake is adding the salam straight into hot milk, where it seizes into rubbery lumps that never cook out. Chef's tip: buy salam powder from a busy shop and smell it; it should be clean and faintly sweet, never musty.
- Total time
- 70 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 20
Ingredients
For the pak
- ⅞ oz salam (salep) powder
- 1 cup cold full-fat milk
- 2 cups full-fat milk
- 9 oz mawa (khoya)crumbled
- 4 oz ghee
- 7 oz sugar
- ¼ tsp saffron threadssoaked in 1 tbsp warm milk
- ½ tsp grated nutmeg
- 1 tsp ground cardamom
- 1 ¾ oz almondschopped
- 1 oz pistachioschopped
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Whisk ⅞ oz salam (salep) powder into 1 cup cold full-fat milk until completely smooth with no dry specks. Leave for 10 minutes so the powder swells.
10 minStep 2: Bring 2 cups full-fat milk to the boil in a heavy non-stick pan. Turn the heat to low and pour in the salam mixture in a thin stream, whisking hard, then keep stirring for 8–10 minutes until it thickens to a glossy custard that coats the back of a spoon.
12 minStep 3: Add 9 oz mawa (khoya) and stir over medium-low heat for 10 minutes, mashing any lumps, until the mixture is thick and starts to pull together.
10 minStep 5: Stir in ¼ tsp saffron threads with its milk, ½ tsp grated nutmeg, 1 tsp ground cardamom and most of the 1 ¾ oz almonds and 1 oz pistachios. Cook 2 minutes more.
2 minStep 6: Spread into a greased 20 cm tray, scatter the remaining nuts on top and press them in. Cool for 2 hours, then cut into 20 pieces. Keep in the fridge for up to 10 days.
120 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 210 kcal
- Protein
- 5 g
- Carbs
- 18 g
- Fat
- 13 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does salam pak take?
- About 70 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 55 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 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 cold full-fat milk?
- Oat, soy or almond milk, same amount (use unsweetened for savoury dishes).
- What can I use instead of full-fat milk?
- Oat, soy or almond milk, same amount (use unsweetened for savoury dishes).
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