The whole idea is to have a healthy and happy festival celebration.
We have so much weighing us down because of what we eat, the everyday stress and our busy lives. So in the midst of all this, “ME TIME” gives me a lot of relaxation, it is therapeutic and you get a surge of energy.
As a food blogger, food can become your friend or foe.
I am constantly experimenting and trying to add various healthy elements to popular recipes. So all this tweaking and tasting can have an effect on your weight. But, developing recipes and enhancing the flavours is going to be my focus in the coming days.
Also, would like to add that this festive season, let’s not take any of our blessings for granted. Let’s make everyone that matter in our lives, feel better by giving them a gift that is beautiful and meaningful.
I truly believe food can be that gift.
This recipe is extremely popular during Diwali and a little tweak in the recipe can make it guilt-free to an extent. The Gurparas have a darker color compared to shakkarpara. The dark colour comes from the dark brown jaggery. But, the flavours are not a compromise at all. Infact, I loved the taste better – compared to the normal sugar & maida version.
The texture is more dense because of wholewheat flour and the jaggery lifts the flavours so well.
GUR PARA (WHOLE WHEAT FLOUR & JAGGERY)
Ingredients :
- 1 cup wheat flour, 150 grams
- 1 tbsp semolina / rava
- A pinch of salt
- 2 tbsp desi ghee in semi-solid form (not melted)
- ½ cup jaggery powder (50 gms)
- ½ cup water (use half quantity for melting the jaggery and the other half for kneading the dough)
- Oil for frying
Method :
In a bowl mix together atta (whole wheat flour), sooji (semolina), and pinch of salt. Set aside.
Then add the ghee in it and use the tip of your fingers to rub in the ghee into the flour mixture. Till it gets incorporated well & resembles sand like mixture.
Melt the jaggery and let it cool. Add the melted jaggery liquid into the flour mixture and add water a little by little to knead to form a soft dough. Cover and keep aside the dough for 30 minutes. The semolina/rava will use up the moisture from the dough and fluff up. This will make the dough a bit tight.
After 30 minutes take out the dough and roll it using a rolling pin to 1/4 inch thickness. You can trim the sides to make it a square. Then use a pastry wheel to cut the dough into diamond shapes.
Keep the oil to heat in a deep pan for frying. Deep fry the gur pare till a golden color on low fire. They are ready.
