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Sugar syrup

Light, one-thread and two-thread syrup for Indian sweets

Sugar syrup (chashni) is the base of many Indian sweets, and recipes ask for it at different stages. A light syrup is for soaking sweets and sweetening drinks. One-thread and two-thread syrups are boiled longer so the sweet sets. You can make it with milk instead of water for some sweets.
Total time
16 min
Difficulty
easy
Serves
1
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Ingredients

Serves1

Method

0/5 done
  1. Step 1: Put 7 oz sugar and 1 cup water in a heavy pan over a medium heat. Stir until the sugar dissolves, then stop stirring.

    3 min
  2. Step 2: Boil for 5 minutes. This gives a light syrup, for soaking sweets or sweetening drinks.

    5 min
  3. Step 3: For one-thread syrup, boil a little longer. To test, take a small drop of syrup and let it cool for a few seconds; it's very hot. Press it between your thumb and index finger and open them quickly: one short string should form.

    3 min
  4. Step 4: For two-thread syrup, keep boiling and test the same way. This time two short strings will form.

    3 min
  5. Step 5: A second test for two-thread syrup: drop a little syrup onto a cold metal plate. If the drop holds its shape and doesn't run, the syrup is ready. Take it off the heat straight away.

B
Recipe by

Badal Patel

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Good to know

How long does sugar syrup take?
About 16 minutes in total: 1 minutes to prepare and 15 minutes to cook.
How many people does it serve?
1 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.
What can I use instead of sugar?
Caster sugar, same amount.

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