Katlo pak
Roasted wheat and nut sweet
Winter sweet of roasted wheat, edible gum, nuts and warming spices set with jaggery
Katlo pak is a traditional Gujarati winter sweet, eaten for strength and warmth: wheat flour and oats roasted in ghee with fried edible gum, coconut, nuts and a warming blend of katlo, dill, aniseed, fenugreek, ginger and spices, set with a dark jaggery 'pie'. It's crumbly, rich and spicy-sweet. Makes about 50 pieces; eat one a day in the cold months.
- Total time
- 80 min
- Difficulty
- hard
- Serves
- 24
Ingredients
For the pak
- 1 ¾ oz gheefor frying the gum
- 9 oz gheefor roasting
- 6 ½ oz coarsely ground wheat flour
- 1 ⅝ oz finely ground wheat flour
- 2 ⅛ oz porridge oats
- 1 ¾ oz fresh coconutgrated
For the seasoning
- 5 ½ oz almondscoarsely ground
- 1 ⅝ oz desiccated coconut
- 1 ¾ oz pistachioscoarsely ground
- 2 ½ oz dry dates (kharek)finely chopped
- ⅞ oz katlo (katlu) powder
- 3 tbsp dill seedspowdered
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp ground mace
- 1 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 ¾ oz ground ginger
- 6 tbsp aniseedspowdered
- 1 tbsp fenugreek seedspowdered
- 1 ¾ oz icing sugar
- 1 tsp saffron
- 1 tsp ground cardamom
For the jaggery pie
- ⅔ oz ghee
- 3 ½ oz datesseeded
- 8 ½ oz dark jaggery (bhilli gor)
For decoration
- 2 tbsp flaked almonds
- 2 tbsp flaked pistachios
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Method
0/10 doneStep 1: Heat 1 ¾ oz ghee in a small pan and fry 1 ¾ oz gum arabica (edible gum, gund) a little at a time until it puffs up. Drain and keep aside; crush any large pieces.
5 minStep 2: Heat 9 oz ghee in a large heavy pan over a low heat. Add 6 ½ oz coarsely ground wheat flour, 1 ⅝ oz finely ground wheat flour and 2 ⅛ oz porridge oats and roast, stirring all the time, until golden brown and fragrant.
15 minStep 3: Add 1 ¾ oz fresh coconut and cook for 2 minutes.
2 minStep 4: Stir in 5 ½ oz almonds, 1 ⅝ oz desiccated coconut, 1 ¾ oz pistachios, 2 ½ oz dry dates (kharek), ⅞ oz katlo (katlu) powder, 3 tbsp dill seeds, 1 tsp ground turmeric, 1 tsp ground mace, 1 tsp ground nutmeg, 1 ¾ oz ground ginger, 6 tbsp aniseeds, 1 tbsp fenugreek seeds, 1 ¾ oz icing sugar, 1 tsp saffron, 1 tsp ground cardamom and the fried gum. Take off the heat and mix well.
Step 6: When the dates have melted, add 8 ½ oz dark jaggery (bhilli gor) and keep stirring until it melts.
Step 7: Then leave it on the heat without stirring. When bubbles start popping on the surface, the pie is done.
4 minStep 8: Mix the jaggery pie and flour mixture together thoroughly and press into a greased 20 x 30 cm tray.
Step 9: Decorate with 2 tbsp flaked almonds and 2 tbsp flaked pistachios and press them in lightly.
Step 10: When cool, cut into pieces and store in an airtight container for up to a month.
60 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 260 kcal
- Protein
- 5 g
- Carbs
- 24 g
- Fat
- 17 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does katlo pak take?
- About 80 minutes in total: 40 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 ghee?
- Butter, same amount (keep the heat a little lower, butter burns sooner).
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Perfect for:DiwaliWinter warmers