When you don't feel like doing anything and are bored of your work, it is best to distract yourself with something that you do not typically do. I do some of my best creative work when I am irritated and at the end of my tether. It is worrying and good at the same time- worrying because it makes me concerned about my mental make up and good because I at least know how I can shake myself out of a funk quickly and without annoying too many people around me.
So yesterday was one of those days, where everything seemed tasteless and boring. With Diwali around the corner, I decided that the best way to cheer myself up was with some sweet making. This is only the third time ever that I have attempted making any sort of sweet. My first trial was kaju katli with ground cashew paste, it was an unqualified disaster with half cooked cashew paste and oodles of ghee, resembling some sort of halwa. It was a lesson well learnt though and I tried again with powdered cashew, I ended up with very good looking katlis though I chose to slice them super thin (Almost like cracker thin).
Mysorepak was on the cards yesterday owing to readily available ingredients. I made a very small quantity as I only wanted to cheer myself up not worsen my mood with all the slaving over the hot stove. But it came out surprisingly well, causing even a sweet skeptic like me to go back for more.
What you need on your kitchen counter:
Makes 10-12 pieces
1. Besan (Gram) Flour- 1/4 cup
2. Ghee- 1/2 cup
3. Sugar- 1/2 cup
How to make mysorepak ( Takes a lot less effort than you think, especially if you choose to be lazy like me and make very very little):
1. Line a tray/plate with foil. I used a pie tin for this. We will use this to pour and set the mixture.
2. In a heavy bottomed pan, place the sugar and just enough water to submerge the sugar. Place on low heat and allow to come to a steady boil.
3. On the side, start melting the half cup of ghee. Once melted place on low heat, so you can ladle the hot ghee into your mysorepak.
4. Sift the besan flour to avoid lumps and fry it for a couple of minutes with a couple of tsp of ghee.
5. Once the sugar has dissolved and starts to thicken into syrup, test the syrup between your fingers. You should wait for the syrup to form a string between your fingers (an unbroken string- this is the single strand consistency).
6. Once the sugar syrup reaches this consistency, add the besan flour to the syrup, stirring continuously and breaking up any lumps that might occur.
7. After the besan is completely dissolved in the syrup, start ladling in the ghee little by little, continuously stirring the ghee into the mixture. All this must be done at a low flame and do not stop stirring at any point.
8. Finally once the ghee has all been added, the mixture will start to come away from the sides of the pan, it will still be soft but will start to sort of bubble and have air pockets within.
9. Take it off the heat and pour into the prepared pan.
10. Allow it to cool for a couple of minutes and then slice into it with smooth strokes to avoid breaking up the pieces.
It was therapeutic to write this down considering I am trying to sound like a Mysorepak Maven, the very first time I made it. :P
Try to keep and consume until Diwali, else you could always make another batch if you decide to give in to temptation.
