Majun ~ Majoon Recipe ~ Sindhi Special | How to make Majun Step By Step Recipe | Indian Cooking Challenge for October

For this month's Indian Cooking Challenge, I thought we can venture into Sindhi Cuisine. Just when I was thinking what I should do, I saw Vaishali coming online and it struck me that I could ask her to share some authentic Sindhi dishes with us to experiment and enjoy. She was so sweet enough to get me couple of their special dishes and said this Majoon is a winter special served for breakfast.

Just reading through the recipe, I knew I was tempted. Imagine this is made specially during the winter season. Another tradition being that daughters are specially sent this by their moms. What a delightful idea! Going through the recipe, I realized the ingredients are readily available. Only the process takes time. I am sure we can enjoy yet another authentic fare from the Sindhis.

When I finally read through the recipe again, I realized this is very much our own Palkova. I also remembered the tradition that's followed in Tamil Nadu where newly wed girls are packed off with a box of Thirattipal on their first visit to inlaws.

Since all the ingredients other than the unsweetened khoya is readily available, I made sure I got hold of the khoya and was prepared to make during the weekend. As I was told, this took about 2 + hours of stirring and looking over. Though I won't mind doing it all again with the sweet taste that's rewarded. Especially with all those nuts, it makes such a yummy dish to enjoy anytime.

You can squarely discard any thoughts of diet when this dish is around. I made sure I am not looking at this. Amma enjoyed it so much and said she remembers eating this somewhere. Konda and Hubby dear enjoyed it a lot, though the boys are yet to start eating nuts in their foods. I am sure they will enjoy this when they get the taste.

I will be sharing both the recipe as given by Vaishali and the changes I made. I must say that with all the changes I did, it still was very rich. So you can imagine how it really must be had I included all that ghee this dish is supposed to have.

Step by Step picture Recipe.

All the ingredients used. I used only the amount that's displayed in the above picture.

Bring the milk to boil.

Add sugar and cook till it becomes half.

Pound the dry dates and add it along with the poppy seeds to the boiling milk.

Nuts are also pound the same way.

Dates and khus khus are added.

Next goes the khoya.

finally the cardamon..

This is after 10 mins of adding the khoya.

After 20 mins.

In between if you are planning to stand next to the pan, take the risk of increasing the flame and cooking in high.

After couple of minutes the liquid thickens well.

Next add the crushed nuts

Stir everything well. I loved the colourful additions.

This is about 45 mins or so.

Keep stirring non stop and you will get a thick mass.

At this stage it's really thick with just about a slight trace of moisture.

 Add ghee at this point and mix everything again.

Can see how thick the sweet looks.

continue adding of ghee.

cover with lid and cook in sim.

Place the pan over a griddle and simmer for 10 mins.

After 10 mins, it will look this dry.

We are done!

Majun / Majoon

Cuisine - Sindhi
Cooking Time - 2 hrs 30 mins appr.
Recipe Source -  Vaishali

Ingredients Needed:

Milk - 1 & 1/2 liters
Sugar - 500 gms
Dry dates / Chuara - 125 gms
Poppy Seeds / Khus Khus - 150gms
Unsweetened Khoya - 500 gms
Cardamon powder - 2 - 3 tsps

Almonds / Badam - 250 gms
Cashew nuts - 250 gms
Pista - 125gms
Ghee - 400gms

Preparations:

Since dry dates is very hard, crush it using a stone or a hard object. Remove the pits. similarly crush the nuts. Keep them aside.

How to prepare Majoon / Majun

Bring Milk to boil, simmer once it is boiled.  Continue boiling for about 10 - 15 mins.

Add sugar and let it dissolve. Add poppy seeds, cardamon powder, unsweetened khoya and crushed dry dates. Continue cooking for about 30 mins. When you check the dates, it should be little soft by now. Simmer till the milk is almost it's half.

At this stage add the pounded nuts. Continue cooking on slow flame till the milk is all evaporated. The mix will start to look thick brown creamy mix. Take care to stir the entire mix, else the mix might burn in the bottom.

At about 2 hrs or so, the entire mix is dry and all the moisture is gone, start adding the ghee one spoon at a time and mix everything.

When you find the moisture is completely gone and the ghee starts coming on the sides, place this pan on a griddle, cover with a lid and place a heavy object, continue cooking for about 10 mins.

Notes:

Select a very thick bottomed pan for cooking this as there is always a possibility for the milk to get burnt.
After about 1 hour so, keep checking and stir the entire mix. Else the milk will get burnt in the bottom.
If the pan used is not deep enough, it will start to splatter, so cover with a lid and cook.
You will know it's done, when the nuts are soft and the colour is brown in colour.
This can be stored for 3 6 months in the refrigerator and served for breakfast.

Serving:

I am told that this is served as 2 - 4 tbsp along with 2 tsp of milk, warmed in microwave for 2 mins to get it piping hot and served for breakfast.

Changes I made:

Milk - 1 litre

Sugar - 2 cups
Dry dates / Chuara - 10 nos
Poppy Seeds / Khus Khus - 3 tsp

Unsweetened Khoya - 200 gms
Cardamon powder - 2 - 3 pinches

Almonds / Badam - 1 cup
Cashew nuts - 1/2 cup
Pista - 3/4 cups
Ghee - 4 tps

Even with all this changes in the measurement, the sweet was very rich and simply out of the world.

To all my ICC members, please link your Majun post to Mr. Linky.

Varo – Indian Praline with Mixed Dry fruits | Diwali Sweets | Indian Cooking Challenge for October ~ Step By Step Recipe!

With Diwali / Deepavali falling on the 5th of November, I thought we should attempt to make a sweet for the Indian Cooking Challenge this month.   Deepavali is all about sharing the good time with family and friends. As everybody, I have loads of memories of cooking with Amma, preparing for the day. We used to make many varieties of sweets and savories that are distributed to neighbours and we eat and eat till we see the end of it!

While I was discussing with Alka, she suggested I can make Varo. She said it is a Sindhi Special made for the Diwali day. She said though her mom makes, she is yet to post it on her blog, she was able to post it right on spot and directed me to couple of other sites that showcase this special dish. When I hopped over to read, I realized it was the Chikki or the Peanut Brittle that we make at home. Though I don't remember Amma ever making it with Dry fruits. 

So for this month's challenge let's look into making a Varo a traditional Sindhi recipe. In South India Chikki made with Peanut or various nuts with Jaggary is very famous. The consistency of the jaggary is paramount in making Chikki. Just like that making with sugar is also going to be tough.

I went through both the sites referred and adapted together, so I am listing out both the sources.

Step by Step of making Varo

Before you start make sure you have a greased rolling board, greased knife and a bottom of a cup ready for spreading the varo flat.

Slice all the dry fruits, keep them ready along with the poppy seeds, dried copra and sugar

Melt sugar in a thick bottom pan, remove impurities if you find and continue cooking

 After few minutes add the Clarified butter or ghee to the pan

Let it melt.

When the sugar water starts boiling, keep stirring with a ladle.

 Continue stirring and you will see the syrup getting thicker

 After about 5 minutes or so, you will find the syrup turning colour into lovely golden hue

 Wait exactly for a minute and add all the chopped dry fruits, along with poppy seeds, copra to the pan. Quickly combine everything together so that the nuts are coated well. Make sure you don't cook this for long. Should be about 1 -2 minutes and not more. Else the nuts will get burnt.

Prior to start cooking this, have the rolling board greased with oil/ghee. You can use a thali or plate too

Immediately pour the mix on to the board and quickly spread the mix to plain using a greased bottom of the cup.You can also make marks on the top when you find it is cooled a bit

 When it is completely cooled, they easily break into pieces.

Recipe 1

Varo – Sindhi Sweet Treat (Diwali Special)
Source : Simply Sindhi Recipes

Ingredients:

Mixed Nuts like Almonds, Pistachios, Cashew nuts,Walnuts - 1 Cup
Sliced Dry Coconut / Copra - roughly 5-6 small slices
Poppy Seeds / Khus Khus - 2 tsp
Sugar - 1 Cup
Ghee Clarified Butter - 2 tsp

Method:

Slice all mixed nuts.Copra, and Poppy seeds together.


In a heavy bottomed pan, add ghee and sugar. On low heat melt the sugar.

When the sugar is melted and caramelized to a light brown color add the sliced mixed nuts, Khus Khus,. Mix till nuts are coated well with the caramelized sugar.

Pour this mixture onto the back of a thali/ greased plate or on a rolling board.

Using the back side (flat side) of a cup, flatten the mixture like a thick chapatti or disc. You can use a rolling pin to roll the mixture. This has to be done very quickly as the mixture begins to harden as soon as it is removed from heat.

When it becomes little cool, make square marks on top with a greased knife.

Leave the rolled Varo to set for some time.

Break into pieces and store in air tight containers.

Recipe 2

Varo ~ Indian pistachio praline with cardamom
Source : Madhvi's Foolproof Recipes

Ingredients

Sugar - 125 gms (½ cup)
Pistachios, coarsely chopped - 75 gms (½ cup)
Cardamom powder - ½ tsp
White Poppy seeds - 2 tbsp
Vegetable oil - 2 tbsp

Method

Prepare the surface on which you plan to roll out by spreading the oil. Sprinkle half of the poppy seeds evenly on the Oil. Keep a knife and rolling pin ready.

Heat the sugar in a heavy bottom pan over a medium heat until it becomes caramelized – (it will become liquid and start to turn a golden brown - this takes about 5 minutes), then take the pan off the heat immediately and quickly stir the pistachio nuts and cardamom into it.

Pour the caramel and pistachio mixture onto the oiled surface and quickly roll it all out until it is about 3mms thick (while it is still warm), and spread the remaining poppy seeds on top. Then use a knife to cut it into pieces – hammer the rolling pin onto the knife to help cut the praline into 2 inch squares.

I must say this was one of those rare dishes that got approval from Hubby dear right on the moment he tasted it. And he continued to praise it every time he eat it. I must thank Alka for suggesting this wonderful sweet and Avisha & Madhvi for sharing their regional special with us


To all my ICC members, please link your Varo post to Mr. Linky.