AI-generated image
Khurmi
Wheat and jaggery biscuits
Chhattisgarh's jaggery and wheat festival biscuits (खुरमी), crunchy with sesame and fried slowly
Khurmi are the sweet half of Chhattisgarh's Teeja-Pola festival snacks, made in big batches alongside the salty thethri. The dough is wheat flour and a little semolina bound with melted jaggery, studded with sesame and coconut, then cut into diamonds or pressed into small patterned shapes and fried until dark gold. They have a hard, crunchy bite and a deep caramel flavour, and they last for weeks in a steel dabba, ready for visitors and children back from school. Chef's tip: cool the jaggery water to lukewarm before kneading; hot jaggery makes a slack dough that spreads and soaks up oil.
- Total time
- 55 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
- 5 ½ oz jaggerygrated
- ½ cup water
- 1 ¾ oz fine semolina
- 2 tbsp white sesame seeds
- 2 tbsp desiccated coconut
- ½ tsp ground cardamom
- 3 tbsp vegetable oilfor the dough
- 3 cups vegetable oilfor deep frying
Shop this recipe on Amazon
Spices & pantry
Links open Amazon in a new tab. As an Amazon Associate, WhatToEat.Today earns from qualifying purchases.
Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Warm 5 ½ oz jaggery with ½ cup water on low heat, stirring, for 3–4 minutes until fully melted. Strain out any grit and let it cool until just lukewarm.
15 minStep 2: Mix 9 oz wholewheat flour (atta), 1 ¾ oz fine semolina, 2 tbsp white sesame seeds, 2 tbsp desiccated coconut and ½ tsp ground cardamom. Rub in 3 tbsp vegetable oil until crumbly, then knead in the jaggery water gradually to a stiff, smooth dough, firmer than chapati dough. Rest for 15 minutes, covered.
15 minStep 3: Roll the dough 5 mm thick and cut into 3 cm diamonds, or shape walnut-sized pieces and press them on the back of a fork or a grater for a pattern.
Step 4: Heat 3 cups vegetable oil in a kadai on medium, then turn down to medium-low (about 300°F). Fry a batch at a time for 8–10 minutes, turning, until deep golden-brown and the sizzling quietens. They burn quickly because of the jaggery, so keep the heat gentle.
25 minStep 5: Drain and cool completely on a rack; they harden as they cool. Store in an airtight tin for up to a month.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 280 kcal
- Protein
- 5 g
- Carbs
- 42 g
- Fat
- 11 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does khurmi take?
- About 55 minutes in total: 25 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 8 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- 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 jaggery?
- Dark brown or muscovado sugar, same amount.
- What can I use instead of white sesame seeds?
- Poppy seeds or finely chopped pumpkin seeds, same amount.
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.
Rate this recipe
Sign in to rate and review this recipe.
You might also like
SakarpadaSweet fried dough diamonds
Sakarpada (shakarpara) are little sweet diamonds of a rich dough made with ghee, milk and sugar, fried until golden and crunchy. They are a Diwali favourite with tea, and the cubes go into bhusu too. They keep for weeks in an air-tight tin.
Paneer biryaniRice and moong dal in coconut milk
A mild, creamy biryani: rice and husked green gram roasted in ghee, then cooked in coconut milk with peas, carrots, potatoes, peanuts and cashews, and finished with soft fried paneer and a fresh coriander yogurt. Serve hot, garnished with more fried cashews and paneer.
Sabudana khichdiSago with peanuts and potato
Sabudana khichdi is the dish that sees Maharashtra through every vrat (fast), from Navratri to Ekadashi, but it's so good that people eat it any day of the week. Soaked sago pearls are tossed in a pan with crushed roasted peanuts, cubes of potato, cumin and green chilli until each pearl turns glassy and separate, then finished with lemon and coriander. It's soft, chewy, nutty and gently hot. Fasting rules vary from family to family, so check yours; this version uses rock salt and no asafoetida, onion or garlic. Traditionally it's cooked in ghee; use ghee instead of oil if you aren't keeping it vegan. Chef's tip: soak the sago in just enough water to cover by the height of the pearls themselves, no more; too much water is the reason khichdi turns into one sticky lump.
