Soft Ghee Mysore Pak

Make this Soft ghee Mysore pak under 30 minutes with just 3 ingredients – gram flour, ghee and sugar. It’s super delicious, aromatic and literally melts in your mouth without a greasy mouthfeel. Mysore pak is a delectable South Indian sweet and a fixture at festive celebrations and weddings. Traditional Mysore Pak with its porous exterior and a tender crumb contains only 4 ingredients— gram flour (besan), refined sugar, ghee and vegetable oil. Both the rock solid or melt-in-your mouth versions of this sweet treat tickle your taste buds.

If you’ve grown up in a traditional Kannadiga or Tamilian home, chances are you’ve tasted it more times than you can count. Whether this delicious fudge-like sweet is prepared at home with TLC by moms and aunts or you get it from a sweet shop, the effect was the same. You just can’t stop at one!

A cross between a butter cookie bar and a soft fudge, this dessert takes its own sweet time to come together but the effort is truly worth it. This dessert can give its North Indian cousin like Besan burfi and Kaju Katli a tough fight for the title of the best ever fudgy Indian treat.

It’s a perfect item to serve for special occasions or a yummy treat after dinner, or even as an anytime snack.

About Soft Ghee Mysore Pak

Mysore Pak is a dessert popular in South India and was created in the royal kitchen of erstwhile Mysore Kings.

Basically, there are two versions of Mysore pak. First you have the traditional version which uses a hint of oil to provide the structure and porous exterior.

Shri Krishna Sweets (based in Coimbatore) perfected a soft version that has become popular across India. This has 3 ingredients and avoids the use of oil. By the way, pak here refers to sugar syrup as the besan is cooked in sugar syrup and ghee.

To make perfect Mysore Pak, you don’t need special skills but need to stick to the process, be patient, and get ready for some arm exercise (for all that stirring).

Your soft mysore pak should be aromatic, light and melt as soon as it hits the tongue. There shouldn’t be any specks of ghee floating around in the cooled dessert.

About this recipe

My recipe shows you an easier way of making Mysore Pak. Is it different from the famous traditional one made in Karnataka and Tamilnadu?

Yes! The regular version of this Mysore pak I posted earlier requires you to make a sugar syrup first, then add the besan or gram flour and finally add ghee and oil mixture in parts. You’ve to constantly stir the pak as there is a small window of time in which everything comes together.

This soft Mysore Pak is similar to the one made famous by Krishna Sweets. It isn’t hard or as porous as the original culinary invention of Mysore.

With this recipe you’ll be able to recreate the original magic of besan and melted fat mix combining with sugar syrup to transform into a soft, melty and decadent dessert. But with less effort and less chances of messing it up.

This is one sweet where three things – correct ingredient proportions, when you add them, how long you cook, and reaching the right consistency — makes a huge difference to the final outcome. Follow all the tips and important notes I have added here and it becomes easier to make it.

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How to make soft ghee Mysore pak (stepwise photos)

Prepare the flour

Keep the ingredients ready as you’ll need to focus on the mysore pak to avoid it from burning or getting greasy.

1. Roast 1 cup (120 gm) of fresh besan or gram flour in a heavy bottom pan for 5 minutes on a low flame, until the raw smell disappears. Stir continuously to prevent it from discoloring or burning. Transfer this to a wide plate and cool completely.

2. Sieve this to the same wide pan or kadai.

3. Melt ½ cup of ghee (if it is solid) and add it to the flour in two parts. Pour 4 to 6 tablespoons (50-80gm) of ghee and mix well to form a smooth paste. (I added the semi solid ghee and heated a bit for the ghee to melt.)

4. Then add 2 to 4 tablespoons of ghee and mix well again to ensure there are no lumps left. You will use up half cup ghee (8 tbsps) in total. Set aside.

5. Grease a plate or baking tray with rims or line it with parchment paper and set aside.

Make sugar syrup

6. Heat a thick bottom pan or kadai on medium, and add 1 cup (200 gm) of sugar and 6 tablespoons of water. I used a steel pressure pan.

7. Cook the sugar syrup on low flame until you reach 1-string consistency, well almost. If you place a drop of the syrup between your index and thumb, it will be sticky and the string will break easily.

Adding gram flour

8. Now is the time to pour the besan and ghee mixture into the syrup and all at once. Stir continuously until it becomes a smooth paste.

9. Cook mixture on low flame for 2 minutes. Keep stirring continuously.

10. Now pour ¼ cup of ghee and let it combine well with the Mysore pak mixture.

11. When all of the ghee has been absorbed, add 2 more tablespoons of ghee. Mix well to combine. No ghee should separate at this stage.

12. The Mysore pak will thicken and start bubbling. Add the last 2 more tablespoons of ghee, 1 tablespoon at a time. Ensure all the ghee is completely absorbed by the mixture.

13. Keep stirring constantly to avoid burning. At the last stage, the mixture will thicken and leave a trail in the pan. Turn off the heat.

14. Quickly remove from stove and set aside. Take a small portion of the ghee Mysore pak mixture with a spoon and cool slightly. Roll it to a ball. You should get a non-sticky soft ball. You need to be quick at this stage. If it is sticky it means the mixture is undercooked.

15. Immediately pour the mysore pak mixture into the prepared tray or pan. Let it cool for 5 to 6 mins on a wired rack. This prevents it from sweating and turning soggy at the bottom.

16. When it has firmed up a bit, cut squares lines with sharp knife or pizza cutter. If you’re using a 6-inch tray cut into to 9 pieces. If using a 7-inch tray, slice it into 12 pieces.

16. Let it cool fully for 30 mins or so before you serve. Slice the Mysore pak fully and store it in airtight container.

Storing & serving

How to serve Soft Mysore Pak?
Slice the set Mysore Pak into square pieces before serving as an evening snack or post meal dessert.

How long can I keep Soft Mysore Pak?
The Mysore pak stays fresh at room temperature for 7-10 days. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for later use, but remember it may harden up a bit.

Pro tips

• Don’t skimp on ghee or sugar as the Mysore Pak will become hard or dry out and also stick to the bottom of the pan. Don’t add too much ghee either. The pak will get greasy and crumbly and you won’t get solid pieces to cut.
• Make sure you use fresh and slightly roasted besan or gram flour to avoid odd flour tastes.
• Don’t reduce the amount of sugar as it provides moisture and flavor to the dish. You may end up with a slightly bitter and gritty taste of besan otherwise.
• Always cook on low flame to ensure your Mysore Pak doesn’t get burnt.
• Have a tray greased with ghee ready before you start cooking. You have very limited time to pour the mixture and even a few seconds delay will change the texture.

Notes

• Always use a thick bottomed heavy pan or cooker pressure pan. The coating may come off when you use a non-stick.
• Add the ghee in batches to help cook the besan. Don’t add more ghee until the previously added ghee is absorbed.
• Cook on lowest flame and stir constantly, scrapping the sides of the pan.

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