Mysore pak was created in the kitchens of the Mysore palace during the reign of Krishnaraja Wadiyar IV. The palace cook Kakasura Madappa is credited with it, and his family went on to run a well-known sweet shop in the city. Pak or paka refers to the sugar syrup, and the sweet is made from just three ingredients: gram flour, sugar and ghee.
There are two styles. The traditional one is firm, porous and slightly crumbly with a honeycomb texture, while the soft version made popular by Chennai sweet shops is dense and melts in the mouth. This recipe makes a soft-porous version, golden with a deeper colour at the base, rich with the flavour of roasted besan and ghee.
At a glance
| Region | Karnataka |
|---|---|
| Cuisine | Kannada |
| Diet | Vegetarian |
| Course | Dessert |
| Prep time | 10 minutes |
| Cook time | 25 minutes |
| Total time | 35 minutes |
| Serves | 12 |
| Spice level | Mild |
| Difficulty | Hard |
| Gluten-free | Yes |
| Key ingredients | besan / ghee / sugar |
Ingredients
- 1 cup besan (gram flour), sifted
- 1.5 cups sugar
- 1/2 cup water
- 1.5 cups ghee, kept hot on a separate burner
- 1/4 tsp cardamom powder (optional)
Method
- Grease a 7-inch square tin or tray with ghee and keep it ready near the stove.
- Mix the sifted besan with 1/2 cup of the warm ghee to a smooth, lump-free, flowing paste.
- In a heavy kadai, dissolve the sugar in the water on medium heat and boil until it reaches one-string consistency, about 5-6 minutes. A drop pressed between finger and thumb should form a single thread.
- Lower the heat to medium-low and add the besan-ghee paste to the syrup, whisking constantly so no lumps form.
- Now add the hot ghee, 2-3 tablespoons at a time, stirring continuously. Each time the mixture absorbs the ghee and bubbles, add more.
- Keep cooking and stirring for 8-12 minutes. The mixture will froth up, turn porous and lighter in texture, and begin to leave the sides of the pan with ghee oozing out.
- When it reaches this stage and smells of roasted besan, immediately pour it into the greased tin. Do not spread or press it.
- Let it cool for 5 minutes, then cut into squares while still warm. Allow to cool completely before removing the pieces.
Tips
- The ghee must be hot when added; cold ghee will not make the mixture porous.
- Remove from the heat as soon as it froths and leaves the sides; a few seconds more makes it hard and crumbly.
- Cutting while warm gives clean edges; once fully set it breaks unevenly.
Serve with
Served on its own as a festive sweet or after a meal, with filter coffee.