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Gud ki Gajak
- Total Time: 45-50 minutes
- Yield: 12–15 1x
Description
Til Gajak is a traditional Indian sweet made primarily using two main ingredients: sesame seeds (til) and jaggery (gur) which popularly enjoyed during the festival of Lohri and Makar Sankranti. It’s a delicious treat that combines the nutty flavor of sesame seeds with the sweetness of jaggery. Here is the simple recipe to make Til Gajak at home.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 cup sesame seeds (til)
- 1 cup jaggery (gur), grated or crushed
- 30 ml water
- 1 tablespoon ghee (clarified butter)
- ¼ teaspoon cardamom powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
Instructions
Roasting Sesame Seeds:
- Heat a pan over medium heat.
- Add sesame seeds and dry roast them until they turn golden brown. Keep stirring to ensure even roasting.
- Once roasted, keep them aside to cool.
For Jaggery Syrup:
- In the same pan, add jaggery along with little water.
- Stir continuously on low heat until the jaggery melts and forms a syrup.
- Cook the syrup until it reaches a two-string consistency. To check the consistency, drop the syrup into a bowl of water, it should form a hard ball and has a snap sound.
- Add cardamom powder for flavor and mix again.
- Now add ghee and baking soda.
- Stir continuously and then add the roasted sesame seeds to the jaggery syrup and mix well.
- Keep stirring to ensure that the sesame seeds are well-coated with the jaggery syrup.
- Grease a plate or tray with ghee.
- Immediately transfer the mixture onto a steel plate greased with ghee.
- Spread it evenly with a greased rolling pin or with spatula. Be quick, otherwise the mixture turns hard and will be difficult to set.
- When it’s still warm, cut it into square or diamond-shaped pieces using a knife.
- Allow the Til Gajak to cool and set completely or store in an airtight container and serve for a month.
Notes
- Use fresh and high-quality sesame seeds and jaggery for the best flavour.
- Roast sesame seeds on medium heat, stirring continuously to ensure even roasting.
- Be cautious not to over-roast as it can lead to a bitter taste. Sesame seeds should turn golden brown.
- Pay attention to the jaggery syrup. Cook it until it reaches a two-string consistency. This ensures the right texture for the gajak.
- If you don’t have experience with this, you can drop a small amount of syrup into a bowl of water. If it has a snap sound, it’s ready.
- Once the jaggery syrup reaches the desired consistency, quickly add the roasted sesame seeds.
- Stir well to ensure that all sesame seeds are coated evenly with the jaggery syrup. Be quick as the mixture can start to harden as it cools.
- Grease the plate or tray where you’ll spread the gajak with a little ghee. This prevents sticking and makes it easier to cut the gajak into pieces later.
- Spread the mixture evenly using a greased rolling pin or spatula. This ensures a uniform thickness throughout the gajak.
- Cut the gajak into pieces while it is still warm. This prevents it from becoming too hard and difficult to cut later.
- Allow the gajak to cool completely before removing the pieces from the tray. This helps in setting and firming up the gajak.
- Store til gajak in an airtight container to prevent it from becoming soft or sticky due to humidity.
- Additionally, mix chopped nuts, desiccated coconut, or other seeds for a unique twist.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Sweets
- Cuisine: Indian
