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Talkan
Talqan: Kazakh roasted millet flour with butter and sugar
KazakhTalkan is an ancient nomad food from the Kazakh steppe: grain roasted in a dry kazan and ground into a fine, nutty flour that keeps for months and needs no cooking. In Kazakh homes it is mixed with melted butter and sugar or honey into crumbly sweets for children, stirred into hot milk tea, or pressed into balls for travel. Ready-made talkan is sold in Kazakh markets; roasting your own millet or wheat flour works well. A common mistake is roasting over high heat, which scorches the outside of the grains and leaves a bitter taste. Chef's tip: roast until it smells like popcorn, then grind finely while warm.
- Total time
- 20 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the talkan
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What you'll need
Spices & pantry
Fresh ingredients (1)
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Method
0/3 doneStep 1: Roast 7 oz hulled millet or wheat grains in a dry, heavy pan over a medium-low heat for 10–15 minutes, stirring constantly, until golden and fragrant. Common mistake: a high heat; it turns bitter.
15 minStep 2: Cool for 5 minutes and grind to a fine flour in a spice grinder or blender.
5 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 280 kcal
- Protein
- 6 g
- Carbs
- 36 g
- Fat
- 13 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does talkan take?
- About 20 minutes in total: 5 minutes to prepare and 15 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of butter?
- The same weight of ghee or coconut oil (for frying and most baking).
- What can I use instead of sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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