Mysoor pak is my daughter’s favourite sweet. I prepared it on her birthday on August 12th.
In slightly ancient times I would invoke “great conversations” in my family for being ‘a girl who dint know cooking’. As a result of those great conversations, a few weeks before my marriage I stayed with many of my aunts to learn recipes. One of these “observing and learning sessions without getting hands dirty” was with Paapa Sithi. Every day would be a feast, she would prepare sweets and lots of other special dishes so that I could learn to cook. As the ‘bride to be’ I was only required to enjoy the visual treat and scribble on a notebook the details of preparation.
After marriage I never tried preparing Mysoor Pak as it involved some techniques though I experimented quite a bit with the Western sweets. I had become popular among my friends as a wonderful cook who could prepare super soft idlies, delicious cookies and a variety of cakes. About two years after my marriage, while chatting with my regular circle, one of my friends said, “Mysoor pak is very a difficult sweet, I have never got it right”.
I am compulsive optimist looking out for kitchen adventures all the time. So statements like these which make a dish sound impossible will immediately invite my dismissal!!! :D
Almost implusively I said, “Actually it is very easy and can be prepared at home”. Little did I realize that I would be asked to prepare it that very instant. Vijaya’s logic could not be argued with – all ingredients were available, here were a bunch of people dying for some good Mysoor Pak and there was a cook who found this dish simple – perfect setting for a Mysoor Pak preparation!!!
Dismissal of the impossible comes easily but doing a dish that one has never tried before successfully to prove that its easy is a different ball game altogether – especially when there is no precious notebook of “amma and sithi recipes” to help you. Bravely without a trace of twitching on my face, I tried to recollect how Sithi had prepared Mysoor Pak. I went on to make this sweet and it turned out to be a great success. I too din’t realize that I could such an expert with sweets!:D Must have been all the baking perhaps?!! Or do genes play a role in this? From that day I have been making this “melting in mouth” Mysoor pak!
This is a post on the special request of Nithya, who asked for “melting in mouth” mysoor pak. Nithya, do let me know how this turns out.
Ingredients
- Besan (Kadalai mavu) – 1 cup
- Sugar – 2 and 1/2 cup
- Ghee – 3 cups + 4 teaspoons for spreading on plate.
- Water – 1 cup
Method
- Mix Besan with 2 teaspoons ghee and rub well to remove lumps.
- Smear 2 teaspoons ghee on a steel or glass plate and keep it aside.
- In a heavy bottomed pan mix sugar and water and simmer on a low to medium flame.
- In another Stove melt the ghee and keep a deep ladle ready in it.
- Once the sugar melts totally, add little ghee and all the besan and keep stirring.
- Keep the flame in medium and add ghee a little at a time every 1 minute, stirring all the while.
- After all the ghee has been added, cook till the mixture forms a honey comb like appearance. This is the most important step for getting the Mysoor Pak right.
- Once the whole mixture becomes like honey comb, pour it into the greased plate. The whole mixture will fall as a lump unlike other sweets.
- Allow to cool for just two minutes and mark with a thuduppu or sharp knife to cut into desired shape and size.
- Your melting in mouth mysoor pak is ready and you can serve and eat as you please.
Tips
Heavy bottomed pan is a must. If you don’t have buy a hawkins or prestige pan.
Keep things ready before you switch on the stove as stirring continuously is a must.
Try a small amount till you are confident. But don’t give up. :)
In case the mysoor pak you made is semi solid, just cook again in the same pan on a low flame for a few more minutes.
Update: This goes to Asha of Foodie’s Hope as an entry for RCI-Karnataka</em>
Read the Round up of all Entries Here
:D ))))liked it learning sessions without dirtying hands:D)) Bride to be are treated the same way in our place too. Mysore Pak looks gr8. You are a born cook Latha. Its in the genes :)
Thanks for thosecompliments archu!
whoa!!! three cups ghee. gotta taste good.
Yes bee! That is the secret of this recipe.
:D, ghee and “iyengar maamis” are almost inseparable.
it is a sinful dish, bee. consumption must be followed by a long healthy break from sweets. :D
I also like this mysoor pak but never try at home…..thanks for sharing.
Do try kajal. It is not as difficult as it is made out to be.
latha.
oho……..good u have a nice website You can see some of the photos in India in my photoblog. great to see ur blog.
http://travelindiaphoto.blogspot.com/
Thanks chamatkari!
latha.
Very nice presentation and it is tempting to try immediately Latha. A neat recipe. Viji
Do try viji. Quite simple once you try.
latha.
Oh My GOD…that is absolutely Gorgeous. I have only had Sree krishna’s.I will try this out sometime.
Thanks for visiting in spite of being busy with a project! Try when you have finished your project. Let me know the results.
latha.
Hi Latha, Mysore pak is something I used to love as a child but haven’t eaten it in ages. Yours looks gorgeous. Can’t believe that yu were known in your family as the girl who can’t cook.
I would love to be part of your Janmashtami event. Just let me think what I would like to make.
Yes anupama, you should try to participate. Try mysiir pak . it is quite simple.
latha.
Thank u for leaving comments in my blog. Hope to see urs frequent visits.
Liked your blog chamatkari!
latha.
What a treasure trove of recipes.. just love ur blog ma’am..
Welcome to my blog! Thanks NTP.
3 cups of ghee! That must taste awesome then! :)
Hi coffee, Anything less than 3 cups ghee, it will taste like rock.
This is shortbread! Flour, sugar, butter, a little water. In England and Scotland they add a little salt. How gratifying that so many favorite recipes cross so many cultures. I’ll try your recipe.
There is no baking emily. This is one of our famous sweets.Do try and let me know how it turned out.
latha.
I feel lazy at this moment to attempt something like this but I would love to try it :)
It does’nt take much time. Just need to over come the fear associated with this dish. Do try when you find time cynthiya.
latha.
I like MP a lot but have not yet tried making sweets. You really seem to be an expert:-)
BTW, since you were asking,I will definitely think about participating, am not very sure though.
Yes TBC, I am a passionate cook! Thanks for your compliments!
latha.
Great looking mysore-pak. I have tried a few times now and the results have never been consistent. But how bad can besan+sugar+ghee taste right? So, though the texture varies, i get by mostly! :)
Hope to try your version sometime.
Hi laavanya, Once you know the exact paadam to take off from flome you will get it right always.refer to step ni 7 and8. As far as I know this is the only method for mysoor pak. Even in marriages chefs make this way.
Looks so good.. Just looking at the pictures, I seem to have put on 1/2 a kilo :). Should try this out. Maybe will save it for Deepavali.
Hi kamini, Good idea for diwali! You can compansate by skipping a meal after eating mysoor pak!
Maybe this MP would melt if I just stared at it long enough, let alone eating it! Delicious! :)
Oh thanks for those wonderful words roopa!
latha.
Hey thank u for dropping few words in my blog. I also bought some TajMahal and elephants but not that big.
may be next time, I earn a lot and go n buy so many things. :)
Keep on visiting my blogs as good photos are yet to come.
Hi, I’ll visit your blog to see those wonderful pictures!
latha.
Ahh..you make homemade mysore pak??Greaaaat!!!Belated B’day wishes to LAKSHMI. :)
you said that day you hurried to her place making an express bisi bele bhath.When did you make mysore pak?? :0
Well done Lathamma!!
Bhrathy, When I prepare at home it is Home made I suppose!! :D…. I made the mysoor pak Exactly between 5 to 5:30 pm on 12th august at my daughters home in chennai !
Mamiyaar elleyennu ninachindu erunthen. Nee erukka, enakku poorummaa!
latha,
belated happy birthday wishe sto ur daughter
mysorepak looks mouthwatering.thanks for sharing it.
Thanks prajusha!
that looks grea latha…thanks for sharing…and belated bday wishes to your daughter…
Srivalli
http://www.cooking4allseasons.blogspot.com
Thanks srivalli!
very lovely looking mysorepak. very beautiful picture. going to book mark.
Thanks sharmi!
Simply wonderful! I make it too but for me little hard to find that balance when to take it out on to plate!:))
Your’s looks perfect,thanks for telling me Latha.You must have posted this while I was away.
Please send this to RCI K with photo,looks absolutely divine!:))
Thanks asha! When I prepare next I’ll shoot step by step and post so that you too can make mysoor pak like me! I’ll send to RCI karnataka with good slides.latha.
[...] to my place to help me with some odd jobs and learn new recipes. She has learnt to make perfect mysoor pak and milk chocolate. When I told her about RCI karnataka, she was very excited and promised to help [...]
[...] theme is Baking. I find it interesting not because I am a health fanatic – in fact most of my favourite indulgences are far from low fat – but [...]
Wow! nice mysoore pak Latha! I love this like anything..mouthwatering..
Your mysore pak looks just like my mom’s, yummy!!!. We especially ask her to make it a lil soft and not like a hard stone cos we like it that way. Thanks for the detailed tips (honeycomb apprearance of the mixture), very useful indeed.
Cheers
Neeru
[...] Mysoor pak [...]
Latha,
Tried this recipe at home. It was delicious. My hubby loved it too. Thanks!
Hi Latha,
The recipe sounds great!. Just one question: the sugar+water mixture should it be 1 thread/2 thread consitency before we add the besan? The sugar we get here in NJ,USA is not the crystal sugar we get in India? Will that make a difference?
Thanks for taking the time to post these lovely recipes!.- Regards,
Lakshmi
Latha,small doubt,should we add raw besan to the sugar syrup while preparing mysore pak.
[...] Mysoor Pak is the richest high calorie sweet that we make at home. We make Mysoor Pak may be once or twice in a year – it involves about 2 1/2 cups of sugar and 3 cups of ghee – for 50 pieces of the sweet, with each piece constituting one serving. We don’t get the point of frying bread in ghee – it doesn’t enhance richness in any way – one might as well consume ghee neat. We don’t get the point of adding a cup of sugar for what may work to at best 4-5 servings. [...]
Hi Latha,
Commendable work! The recipes that you have compiled are very very authentic.
My mom has an easier version of mysore pak. The same ingredients are used in the same proportion, except for water..reduced to 1/2 cup and she powders the sugar.
Instead of mixing water and sugar on the stove, she mixes all the ingredients together after rubbing the besan with ghee to remove lumps…..Once the ingredients are well mixed together she put the kadai on the stove and stirs to reach the honecomb consistency..easier as we dont have to worry about the sugar syrup consistency..ghee pouring activity etc
Look forward to more recipes and wonderful write ups
Regards
Rajashree Subramanian
hi,
this is my first time trying a sweet, and let alone try mysoor pak
and well my mommy was there to assit ..to get to the honeycomb part..
and let me tell u ..it came out great!
thank u very much for the wonderful peice of recipe
xoxo
serina
Dear Latha Mami,
Thanks for the Mysore Pak recipe. I don’t understand “Mix besan with 2 tspoons of ghee and rub well to remove lumps. Please explain.
I have roasted besan flour and prepared mp. Not so good. I will try your recipe.
is it possible for u to give me the recipe for Kodubale which is my sonss’ and husbands’ favourite.
thanks
gayathriananthkrishna
Dear Lathaji
Thanks for the wonderful recipe of mysore pak.
I made it today following your recipe and it came out yummy.
Even my toddler likes it.
Meera
Hi I tried this yesterday and it turned out really awesome. But, I didn’t get that yellowish color of yours. Mine was in light biscuit color. And I don’t know what I missed. It would be helpful if you can advise me.