Dr. Sudha Raj, PhD, RD, FAND

Diwali is one of my favorite festivals after Navaratri. Diwali at a superficial level for me signifies the unison of family, friends, religion, festivities, food, new clothes and celebration in general. But at the core of the festival I look forward to the celebration as a way of removing negativity and ushering in brightness, hope, optimism and joy. If we as a human being can revel in those sentiments we can be change agents and spread the same sentiment to those around us. At our university campus we light over a 1000 electric lamps to decorate the quad and it is a very beautiful sight and a great opportunity for us to share our national and ethnic festival with our friends and colleagues.

Happy Deepawali to all! May joy, good health and happiness be with all of you.

Sudha's Recipe:

Mysore Pak

(Time to prepare 20 -25 minutes)

Ingredients

  • 2 cups sugar
  • ½ cup water
  • 1 cup Besan or gram flour
  • 1 cup ghee or clarified butter- keep it hot in a small saucepan.
  • Saffron strands and powdered cardamom

Directions

  1. Grease a flat tray and keep aside Also grease a butter knife and keep aside.
  2. Take ¼ cup of ghee in a non-stick sauce-pan and roast the gram flour till raw smell is removed. Keep aside in a bowl. Keep heat on Medium.
  3. In the same pan add water and 2 cups of sugar and add few saffron strands and boil to a one string consistency.
  4. When right consistency is reached add the ghee roasted gram flour and keep stirring.
  5. Gradually add the ghee in small amounts and keep stirring.
  6. As the mixture thickens it will start leaving the sides of the pan. Add powdered cardamom and when it is thick enough pour into greased tray and make marks for cutting the Mysore Pak immediately. It is difficult to do so when it cools. Note: If you keep mixture in the pan too long it will dry out and cannot be cut.
  7. In 5 minutes cut into pieces and serve.
  8. Enjoy!