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Kuler
Bajra ghee jaggery balls
કુલેર: uncooked bajra, ghee and jaggery balls offered on Nag Pancham
On Nag Pancham, Gujarati women draw a snake in kumkum on the wall or visit a nag temple and offer kuler with milk and cotton: a raw sweet of fine bajra flour rubbed with ghee and jaggery, rolled into soft balls. Since the day is a cold-food day in many homes, nothing is cooked; the bajra simply soaks up the ghee. It is soft, earthy, sweet and slightly sandy. Common mistake: using coarse or stale bajra flour, which tastes bitter and gritty; use fresh, finely ground flour, and the mix is ready when a handful holds together when squeezed. If you prefer, you can lightly roast the flour first, though that is not the traditional way. Chef's tip: grate the jaggery very finely, or melt it with the ghee and cool slightly, so it blends evenly.
- Total time
- 15 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the kuler
- 5 ½ oz fine bajra (pearl millet) flourfreshly ground
- 4 tbsp gheesoft
- 2 ⅞ oz jaggeryfinely grated
- ¼ tsp ground green cardamom
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Method
0/3 doneStep 1: Sift 5 ½ oz fine bajra (pearl millet) flour into a bowl and rub in 4 tbsp ghee with your fingertips for 2–3 minutes until it looks like damp sand.
3 minStep 2: Add 2 ⅞ oz jaggery and ¼ tsp ground green cardamom and keep rubbing until evenly mixed and a handful holds together when squeezed. Add a little more ghee if it crumbles.
4 minStep 3: Press into 12 small balls and offer or eat the same day.
8 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 210 kcal
- Protein
- 3 g
- Carbs
- 26 g
- Fat
- 10 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does kuler take?
- About 15 minutes in total.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- 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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