Recipe for Panjiri

Name: Recipe for Panjiri
Cook time: 30 min
Ingredients: 3 Cups Whole Wheat Flour; 1 Cup Edible Gum (Goond), about 100 gm; 4 Cups Foxnuts; 5-6 tbsp Ghee; ½ Cup Almonds; ¼ Cup Pumpkin Seeds; ¼ Cup Walnuts; ⅔ Cup Melon Seeds (magaz); ½ Cup Cashews; ⅔ Cup Chopped Dates; ½ Cup Raisins; 2 Cups Powdered jaggery/Sugar

Panjiri is a traditional sweet from the northern state of Punjab in India. It is made using whole wheat flour, nuts, dry fruits and ghee. Though sweet, it is not considered a dessert that is eaten after meals but rather a small meal in itself. It is typically made in the winter months and consumed in small portions every day. The best time to eat Panjiri is in the morning when your body requires the maximum energy to go about your daily activities.

The reason why Panjiri is a winter food and is consumed the way it is is that Panjiri is made of a whole gamut of rich, fatty and hence energy-giving ingredients like ghee, nuts and seeds. In addition, it contains nutrient-rich ingredients like foxnuts, which are rich in protein and fibre and are known to fight against joint pains common in winter. Edible gum used in this recipe is known to generate heat in the body and is also believed to help with bone strengthening. It is, therefore, also consumed by lactating mothers. Therefore, nuts, dry fruits, seeds, etc, combined together make Panjiri a heavy, nutrient-dense, and energy-giving food.

Making Panjiri: Some Tips

Making Panjiri is easy. It takes about 30 minutes to make a batch of Panjiri.

Always use a thick-bottomed Pan to make Pinjiri. The recipe requires roasting whole wheat flour. If you use a thin-bottomed pan, the flour will burn and spoil the taste of the Panjiri. Also, roasting the flour well is the most important step. If it is not well roasted, it will feel raw and sticky in the mouth and not taste good. Roast wheat flour and all other ingredients on medium heat. Don’t leave anything that’s on the pan unattended at any time. If you are making Panjiri, don’t combine it with any other activity in the kitchen.

Take a big mixing bowl so that you can mix and combine all the ingredients properly. Step by step, as you roast the individual ingredients, keep adding them to the mixing bowl. In the end, mix them well.

Consuming Panjiri

On cold days, when the body needs warmth and energy, Pinjiri provides the required nourishment and support for the body. But as I mentioned, It should not be consumed in large quantities in one go. It is ideal to have about 1-2 tablespoons of Panjiri a day, preferably in the morning.

Storing Panjiri

Store Panjiri in an airtight box in a cool and dry place, and it will stay good for more than a month. Every time you take a serving, use a clean and dry spoon.

Now, let’s start with the recipe:

Equipment Needed:

Pan
Mixing bowl
Knives and Cutting Board
Masher

Ingredients Needed to make Panjiri:

3 Cups Whole Wheat Flour
1 Cup Edible Gum (Goond), about 100 gm
4 Cups Foxnuts
6-7 tbsp Ghee
½ Cup Almonds
¼ Cup Pumpkin Seeds
¼ Cup Walnuts
⅔ Cup Melon Seeds (Magaz)
½ Cup Cashews
⅔ Cup Chopped Dates
½ Cup Raisins
2 Cups Powdered jaggery/Sugar

Ingredient Sourcing in Germany:

You can easily source dry fruits like almonds, walnuts and cashews from a local supermarket. Raisins and pumpkin seeds are commonly available in supermarkets. Dates are easily available in Turkish stores. I used the regular whole wheat flour which is used for making rotis for this recipe. I bought it from an Indian shop. I bought Edible Gum ( Brand name: Uttam; Product Name: Char Goond/Essbares Planzengummi), Powdered jaggery (Brand Name: Annam), and Melon Seeds (called Magaz) from an Indian store near my home. I made Ghee at home. You can read how to make ghee at home here.

All the Indian ingredients can also be purchased from Spiceland, Frankfurt. Their quality is good, prices reasonable and they deliver all across Germany.

Method to make Panjiri:

Heat 1 tbsp ghee in a thick-bottomed pan. Add edible gum. Fry on medium heat till they puff up. Transfer them to a mixing bowl. Crush them using a masher.
In the same pan, add 1 tbsp ghee. Add foxnuts. Fry on medium heat till they become easy to break. Transfer them to the mixing bowl. Coarsely crush the foxnuts.
In the same pan, add 2 tbsp ghee. Add wheat flour. Fry on medium heat for about 10 minutes. Constantly mix with a spatula, or else the flour will burn. After about 10 minutes, the flour will start releasing a pleasant aroma and will turn slightly brown. Transfer it to the mixing bowl.
In the same pan, add 1 tbsp ghee. On medium heat, fry almonds and pumpkin seeds for 2-3 minutes. Transfer them to the mixing bowl.
In the leftover ghee, fry cashews till they turn golden brown. Transfer them to the mixing bowl.
In the same pan, if ghee is over, add another 1 tbsp of ghee and fry walnuts and melon seeds. Transfer them to the mixing bowl.
In the leftover ghee, fry dates and raisins for about a minute. Transfer them to the mixing bowl.
Add jaggery powder to the mixing bowl. Mix everything.
Panjiri is ready.

Here is the recipe in printable format: