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Panchakhadya
Coconut, jaggery and poppy seed offering
पंचखाद्य: a five-part prasad of toasted dry coconut, jaggery, poppy seeds, dry dates and dry ginger
Walk into a Maharashtrian home during the ten days of Ganeshotsav and the evening aarti ends with a spoonful of panchakhadya pressed into your palm. Pancha means five and khadya means things to eat: dry coconut (khobra), jaggery, poppy seeds, dry dates (kharik) and dry ginger (sunth) powder, all toasted and pounded together into a loose, sweet crumble. Some families add a few raisins or almonds, but the five are the heart of it. It is warming, chewy and gently spicy from the sunth, and it keeps for weeks, which is why it is made in a big tin at the start of the festival. Eat it by the spoon, or sprinkle over hot milk. The common mistake is grinding everything together into a sticky paste; the jaggery should be grated and stirred in at the end so the mixture stays crumbly. Chef's tip: dry kharik are rock hard; soak them for 10 minutes in hot water, then pat dry and chop, or buy ready kharik powder.
- Total time
- 15 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 12
Ingredients
- 3 ½ oz dry coconut (khobra)finely grated
- 6 dry dates (kharik)seeds removed, finely chopped or powdered
- 3 ½ oz jaggeryfinely grated
- ½ tsp ground green cardamom
- 1 tbsp raisins (optional)
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Toast 3 ½ oz dry coconut (khobra) in a dry pan over a low heat, stirring all the time, for 3–4 minutes until pale golden and fragrant. Tip onto a plate.
4 minStep 2: In the same pan toast 2 tbsp white poppy seeds (khus khus) for about 1 minute, until it crackles faintly. Cool, then crush lightly in a mortar.
1 minStep 3: Crumble half the toasted coconut with your fingers until fine, and mix with the rest, the poppy seeds and 6 dry dates (kharik).
2 minStep 4: Add 3 ½ oz jaggery, 1 tsp dry ginger powder (sunth), ½ tsp ground green cardamom and 1 tbsp raisins and rub together with your fingertips until the jaggery coats everything and the mix looks like coarse brown crumbs.
3 minStep 5: Offer as prasad and store in a clean, dry jar. It keeps for 3–4 weeks.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 95 kcal
- Protein
- 1 g
- Carbs
- 12 g
- Fat
- 5 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does panchakhadya take?
- About 15 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 5 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 12 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.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- 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.
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Perfect for:Ganesh Chaturthi