Lohri is just around the corner, so I thought to make these homemade sweet treats to elevate the festivities. Gur and gajaks are some of the main things that are served during this Punjabi festival. There are many varieties of chikkis available like dry fruit chikki, sesame seeds chikki, etc. Today, I made gajak or chikki but with a little twist. In this recipe, I replaced sesame seeds and peanuts with Quinoa puffs.
Quinoa is one of few plant foods that provides a complete protein source with all nine essential amino acids. This makes puffed quinoa an excellent post-workout snack when served alongside fruit or as a topping for Greek yogurt. Quinoa puffs are also a good source of fiber, providing three grams per serving. The fiber found in quinoa is beneficial for digestive health. Quinoa puffs contain nearly twice as much fiber as nearly all other grains.
Whereas jaggery is packed with calcium, magnesium, iron, potassium and phosphorus and even has trace amounts of zinc, copper, thiamin, riboflavin and niacin. Studies suggest that jaggery has B vitamins, some amounts of plant proteins and loads of phytochemicals and antioxidants. No wonder then that eating jaggery, especially during the winter season, has many potential benefits.
Quinoa chikki are very tasty, sugar-free and gluten-free, and great for a healthy life. In the festive season make and serve some healthy sweets to your guest.
Ingredients :
Grated jaggery – 2 cups
Quinoa puffs – 1 & 1/2 cups
Ghee – 4 tbsp
Method :
- Grease butter paper with oil or ghee.
- Cook jaggery (heavy bottom non stick pan) till a thick syrup is formed. To test that the syrup is ready put a drop in cold water. If it forms a firm ball the syrup is ready.
- Now add quinoa puffs and mix it well (Flame off).
- Immediately spread prepared chikki mixturer on the greased plate.
- Now level up mixture with rolling pin and gently spread mixture.
- Let it cool slightly before cutting into desired shapes.
Mad About Cooking 