The Purnima Tithi (Puranmashi) of the Kartik (Katak) month is a significant day because it marks the day of birth of Guru Nanak Dev Ji. One of the most celebrated Sikh gurus and the founder of Sikhism, Guru Nanak Dev Ji is highly revered by the Sikh community. Every year, his birth anniversary is widely celebrated as Guru Nanak Jayanti. Also known as Prakash Utsav or Guru Purab, it is one of the most auspicious occasions for the Sikh community.
The melodious strains of Gurbani (my morning starts with it ), Prabhat pheris, Prakash Utsav, langar, and the unforgettable yummy Kada prasad. It takes me back to a happy childhood, to festivals, to cold Chandigarh winters. If there is one fragrance that I always associate with this time of the year, it has to be the beautiful aroma of the atta (whole wheat flour) being roasted in Maa’s large Kadai. That is Atte ka halwa or Kada prasad – No fancy sweet dish can beat its taste and texture.
Kada parshad is a simple combination of four everyday ingredients that come together to become something so comforting and yet so celebratory. This delicious halwa is served as a Kada Prasad in all the Gurdwaras (Sikh Temple) worldwide. Rich in sugar and ghee, Kada prasad is immensely delicious and is undoubtedly difficult to resist on just one serving.
For making a perfect Kada Prasad one needs the perfect flour. In India, one can easily get coarsely ground wheat flour, made especially for Halwa and other sweet recipes. But here in the Netherlands, I had a difficult time finding it. So, over time I have made multiple attempts to come up with the perfect Kada Prashad. Now, I have come up with a perfect recipe that works every time.
We need grainy texture wheat flour for this recipe. To get delightful texture in Kada Prasad, you need to crumble the whole wheat flour with some ghee and milk and keep it aside for 20 minutes. After that sift the mixture and use it in the recipe. In punjabi this process is called “Moin”. By adding jaggery this dessert becomes more nutritious and healthier. The benefits of jaggery include its ability to cleanse your body, sweeten your food in a healthy manner, and provide good amounts of minerals.
Ingredients:
Whole wheat flour ( atta) – 1 cup
Grated Jaggery – 1 cup
Water – 2 cups
Ghee – 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp
Milk – 2 tbsp
Method :
- Boil water in pan and add jaggery. Boil water until jaggery dissolves completely.
- Sieve the boiled jaggery water and keep it aside.
- In a large bowl, add whole wheat flour with 2 tbsp melted ghee and 2 tbsp milk to it.
- Mix with your hands and then rub the mixture between your palms for 2 minutes. This is to ensure that all ghee and milk is incorporated with whole wheat flour. This method ensures the grainy texture of whole wheat flour which we need for Kada Prasad.
- Then take a sifter and sift the mixture. If there’s any leftover which you are unable to sieve, pulse it in your spice grinder until you have a smooth powder and transfer to the same bowl.
- Heat ghee in a pan and add whole wheat flour ( step 5). Mix using a spatula and start roasting it. Stir continuously and keep roasting on medium heat. After roasting for around 6 to 7 minutes, it will become light and grainy.
- Now add jaggery water and mix it quickly (make sure there are no lumps).
- Cook for another minute on low flame, stirring continuously.
- Keep on stirring until the whole mixture starts thickening and starts to leave the edge of the pan.
- At last add 1 tbsp of ghee and mix well. Serve hot.
Mad About Cooking 