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Gundar pak
ગુંદર પાક: Kathiawadi winter fudge of puffed edible gum, ghee-roasted wheat flour, jaggery and dry ginger
When the first cold mornings reach Rajkot and Junagadh, Kathiawadi kitchens fry a big batch of gundar, the edible acacia gum, in ghee and set it into this dense, crunchy pak, eaten one square a day with tea through December and January. Here the gum is the star: it puffs into crisp white popcorn-like pieces that give the fudge its crackle, while wheat flour, jaggery, dry ginger and coconut hold it together. The common mistake is frying the gum in ghee that is too cool, so it stays hard and glassy and sticks to your teeth; it must puff fully within seconds. Chef's tip: crush the puffed gum only lightly with a rolling pin so you still bite into small crunchy nuggets.
- Total time
- 55 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 24
Ingredients
For the pak
- 3 ½ oz edible gum (gond or gundar)pea-sized pieces
- 9 oz ghee
- 1 ¾ oz desiccated coconut
- 1 ¾ oz almondschopped
- 1 oz cashewschopped
- 1 ½ tsp dry ginger powder (sonth)
- 1 tsp ground cardamom
- ¼ tsp grated nutmeg
- 9 oz jaggerygrated
To finish
- 1 tbsp white poppy seeds (khaskhas) (optional)
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Method
0/8 doneStep 1: Grease a 20 cm square tray with a little of the 9 oz ghee and keep it next to the stove.
2 minStep 2: Heat 150 g of the 9 oz ghee in a heavy kadai over medium heat. Drop in one piece of 3 ½ oz edible gum (gond or gundar): when it swells and turns white within 3–4 seconds, the ghee is ready. Fry the 3 ½ oz edible gum (gond or gundar) in three batches, stirring, until every piece has puffed and turned opaque white with no hard glassy centre, about 1 minute a batch. Lift out with a slotted spoon and keep the ghee in the pan.
6 minStep 3: Tip the puffed gum onto a board and crush it lightly with a rolling pin into lentil-sized bits.
2 minStep 4: Add the rest of the 9 oz ghee to the pan with 7 oz coarse wholewheat flour (bhakri atta). Roast on low-medium heat, stirring all the time, for 15–18 minutes until it is the colour of peanut butter, smells nutty and loosens into a flowing paste.
18 minStep 5: Stir in 1 ¾ oz desiccated coconut, 1 ¾ oz almonds and 1 oz cashews and roast 2 minutes more. Take the pan off the heat and mix in 1 ½ tsp dry ginger powder (sonth), 1 tsp ground cardamom, ¼ tsp grated nutmeg and the crushed gum.
3 minStep 6: Let the mixture cool for 3–4 minutes, until you can hold a finger near it, then add 9 oz jaggery and stir until it melts into the warm flour. If it stays in lumps, set the pan back over the lowest heat for 30 seconds only; overheated jaggery turns the pak hard.
4 minStep 7: Press the mixture into the tray, level it with a greased flat bowl and sprinkle with 1 tbsp white poppy seeds (khaskhas). Mark into 24 squares while warm.
3 minStep 8: Leave to set for 1 hour, then break along the marks. Keep in an airtight tin for up to 3 weeks.
60 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 185 kcal
- Protein
- 2 g
- Carbs
- 18 g
- Fat
- 12 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does gundar pak take?
- About 55 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 40 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 24 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of ghee?
- Butter, same amount (keep the heat a little lower, butter burns sooner).
- What can I use instead of jaggery?
- Dark brown or muscovado sugar, same amount.
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