Mohanthal has become one of my favourite sweet dishes ever since I tasted my mother-in-law's recipe! It has a rich, roasted flavour with nuts, cardamom & other spices and, of course, ghee! Home-made ghee is the best, so checkout my video on how to make it if you haven't seen it already.
In this video, I'll take you through the process of making this delicious sweet as there are some things you need to look for while making it. But don't worry, I'll be right by your side! So enjoy making and eating this delicious sweet dish!
Tradtional Mohanthal Recipe Prep Time: 2 Hours (Approx)
Makes 1 10" Thali
INGREDIENTS:
230g (2 Cups) Chickpea Flour, Sieved
30ml (2 TBSP) Warm Milk
15ml (1 TBSP) Melted Ghee
80g (3/4 Cup) Milk Powder (Full Fat)
45ml (3 TBSP) Warm Milk
15ml (1 TBSP) Melted Ghee
60g (1/2 Cup) Almonds
170g (7/8 Cup) Granulated Sugar
90ml (1/4 Cup + 2 TBSP) Water
170g (3/4 Cup + 2 TBSP) Melted Ghee (added gradually)
1 1/2 tsp Cardamom Powder
Pinch of Nutmeg Powder
Pinch of Mace Powder
4-5 Strands Saffron
A little Orange Food Colouring
Shaved Almonds & Pistachios for Garnishing
METHOD:
Note: It is more accurate to weigh the ingredients but I have added Cup measures too for convenience.
In a bowl, mix the first 3 ingredients together by hand so they resemble crumbs. Make sure the milk and ghee are warm. Keep this aside.
In another bowl, mix the next 3 ingredients together by hand. Again, make sure the ghee and milk are warm. Mix until it looks like crumbs. Keep aside. It will dry out a little more, at which point you need to break it up into smaller crumbs by hand.
Take the chickpea flour crumbs and place them in a chopper and chop until it resembles a texture like course semolina. Keep aside.
Grind the almonds so they are finely chopped. Keep aside.
Mix the water, sugar, saffron and orange colour in a pan. Keep aside.
Keep the cardamom, nutmeg and mace powder ready to add to the mix.
Prepare the sliced almonds and pistachios for garnishing.
Once all the items are ready, you can start cooking.
In a large pan, heat most of the 170g ghee on a medium heat (5). When the ghee has melted, add the chickpea flour crumbs. Stir. The consistency should be such that it is easy to mix, with little resistance. The mix in the pan should come back together fairly quickly when ‘cut’ with the spoon. Add enough ghee to make it the right consistency. Continue to stir and cook the mix for about 10-15 minutes or until the chickpea flour is well roasted and it smells toasted. The colour will change to a caramel brown.
Once the chickpea flour has toasted, turn the heat off otherwise it will burn.
Then immediately add the almond crumbs and the milk powder crumbs and continue to stir for about 2 minutes (the heat should be off at this point). Stir this in then set aside.
In the meantime, make the sugar syrup. Cook only for 2-3 minutes after it comes to a boil. The consistency is fairly thin, just so it doesn’t run quickly when put on a spoon. Note: if you want runny Mohanthal, make the sugar syrup runny by adding 1-2 Tbspn more water to the syrup. Turn off the heat.
At this point, you can leave the cooked chickpea flour mix and sugar syrup aside and refrigerate for a day or two. But heat them up again on a low heat until they are warm before mixing them together.
Add the hot syrup to the hot chickpea mix and stir it in. Add in the cardamom, nutmeg, mace and saffron. and stir. This mix will thicken as it cools. Stir every 5-7 minutes.
Once it has cooled, the ghee may separate a bit if there is too much ghee. You can remove this ghee and reserve it for use in another sweet dish.
Line a round thali or square baking tray with parchment paper. Place the mixture in the tray. Flatten slightly, then sprinkle with shaved almonds (& pistachios if desired). Press this in. Let it cool completely, then cut into squares. Over time, the mixture will get harder. Place in a covered container to store. Enjoy!
留言