Panjeeri / Panjiri (பன்ஜிடி)

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I was forced to rest for more than a month for health reasons. Found it very difficult to be away from my Hobbies, blogging or chatting but successfully I observed that vrath (as prescribed) which made me now sit comfortably to sit & type. So all my blogpals, I know I missed a lot of sweet happenings from you but here I am on my happy heels back in action! So let me welcome you all back to my Lounge with a sweet Prashad.

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Panjiri / Panjeeri (spelled as Panjeedi) is a offering made to god during auspicious occasions. It is made during satyanarayana pooja &

It is a mixture of whole wheat flour, clarified butter (ghee), Cardamom powder, puffed Lotus seed (roasted), Sugar. The ghee & sugar proportion can be used as per preference which gives you a panjeeri with different texture & consistency.  The more the ghee the more halwa like look it has. The less, that much dry it will be. Use of puffed lotus seed is optional. Chopped nuts viz., almond, pistachio etc makes it rich and gives you a crunchy nuty taste so again it is also optional.

The proportion of wheat flour, ghee, sugar = 1 : 1/2 : 1 (I used 1 : 1/4 : 3/4 to reduce the ghee & sugar intake).

So here is a simple panjiri recipe I follow :-

Ingredients :-

1. Whole wheat flour - 1 Cup
2. Sugar - 3/4 cup
3. Ghee - 1/4 cup (Clarified butter)
4. Cardamom - 2 Nos.

Procedure :-

• Powder Sugar + cardamom & keep aside

•  Heat Clarified Butter in a Wok 

• Add the whole wheat flour and roast it till it becomes golden brown and lets out a good aroma

• When the mixture cools down a bit, add the powdered sugar + cardamom to it, mix well 

• Panjiri / Panjeeri is ready

Options :-

• If you use Nuts, slice them finely using a nut grater and add to the mixture
• If you use puffed lotus seeds then fry it in the ghee till golden in colour before you add the wheat flour.