Mysore pak
- Course: Dessert
- Place of Origin: India
- Region or state: Mysore, Karnataka
- Main ingredients: Besan (gram flour), ghee, sugar, water
A heavenly treat both for the taste buds and the olfactory nerves, Mysore Pak is a South Indian delight originating from Mysore, the royal city of Karnataka, India. Prepared with a generous amount of ghee along with gram flour and sugar, Mysore Pak is a sweet treat with a buttery and dense cookie like texture that emulsifies in the mouth and explodes with burst of flavors for a wholesome experience. in Southern India, Mysore Pak is one of the most important sweets that is given as gift at weddings, celebrations, and other festivities and can be found at sweet shops easily.
Mysore Pak was originated in the large kitchen of Amba Vilas Palace in Mysore, the palace of the Maharaja of Mysore, Krishna Raja Wadiyar IV. The head chef, KakasuraMandappa, wanted to present the king with something unusual and experimented with gram flour, ghee, and sugar to produce soft paaka or a mixture of it. The king absolutely loved it and asked the chef to name it and open a sweet shop outside the palace. The recipe got developed over the years, but the essence of Mysore Pak is still intact and can be felt in its scrumplicious taste.
This melt in the mouth rich sweet is loved by everyone and for all the good reasons. The ‘pak’ in Mysore Pak refers to sugar syrup, since the besan is cooked in sugar syrup along with a good amount of ghee which gives it a distinct taste. Though the sweet requires only three basic ingredients, ghee, besan, and sugar, it is not very easy to make it as it requires a lot of stirring and some efforts. But the efforts are worthwhile and forms a decadent sweet that instantly lifts the mood with its exotic aroma and flavor.
Making of Mysore Pak
Collect all three ingredients – sugar (200 grams), 1 cup besan, and 1 cup ghee (200 grams). Sieve the gram flour to remove any lumps. Heat a deep pot or kadhai and add the sugar along with half cup water. Heat the sugar in medium flame and stir occasionally to that it dissolves. Meanwhile, take ghee in another pan and heat it up on low flame and set a pan after greasing it and lining it with parchment paper.
When the sugar syrup comes to a boil and tarts to turn golden brown, add the besan in three installments while stirring it continuously so that it doesn’t form lumps. When the besan is nicely mixed with the sugar syrup, add the hot ghee slowly in two parts while stirring the besan mixture continuously and keeping the flame to medium low. Stir non-stop after adding ghee till you start seeing many bubbles in the mixture and the ghee is released from it. The mixture will also start to release the sides of the pan. Keep stirring while also scraping the sides and the bottom of the pan or kadhai for some more time until you see many small bubbles and holes in the mixture. Quickly tilt the mixture in the greased pan and level up the surface with a spatula. Once the mixture is cooled down, invert it into a tray and cut into pieces of your choice and store in an air-tight container.
Nutritional Content
One piece of Mysore Pak gives 564 calories, out of which carbohydrates comprise 68 calories, proteins account for 5 calories, and fat gives 491 calories. One piece of Mysore Pak gives about 28 percent of the total daily calorie requirement of a standard adult diet of 2000 calories.
Video
Mysore Pak
An immensely delectable dessert popular in the city of Mysore, the Mysore Pak is a real treat to the taste buds that bursts with a strong zest of ghee and a dense yet soft texture, with every bite that you crave to take.