Pinni Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 cup (125 grams) whole wheat flour (atta, coarse if available)
• 2 to 4 tablespoons (25 to 50 grams) gond (edible gum, cut down to 2 tbsps for kids)
• 1 tablespoon fine semolina (suji, optional)
• 18 grams (2 tablespoons) cashews
• 18 grams (2 tablespoons) almonds
• 18 grams (2 tablespoons) pistachios
• 8 to 10 grams (1 tablespoon) sweet raisins (optional, avoid sour raisins)
• 15 grams melon seeds or sunflower seeds
• ½ cup (115 grams) ghee (more to grease your hands)
• 1 cup (100 grams) organic jaggery powder (start with ¾ cup or use ½ cup regular sugar)
• ½ teaspoon cardamom powder
• ½ teaspoon dried ground ginger

Steps

Preparation

1. Grind or process the jaggery powder finely in a grinder jar or food processor, then put it into a container and leave aside.
2. Pulse the nuts in the same jar just 2 to 3 times, leaving a coarse mixture. Put this on a plate.
3. Using that same jar, pulse the gond a few times only; leave it coarse rather than finely ground.

How to Make Pinni

1. Pour in 1 teaspoon ghee, add the raisins and seeds, and fry until the raisins plump up.
2. Add the coarsely ground nuts and fry over low to medium heat for a few minutes, until golden and fragrant. Turn the stove off and put the mixture on a plate.
3. Pour in 2 tablespoons ghee and heat it, then stir in the gond. Fry over medium heat until light and golden. If the gond is sticky, add another tablespoon ghee and fry. Break apart any clumps, then put it on the same plate as the fried nuts.
4. Pour in the remaining ghee and stir in the semolina. Fry over medium-low heat until it starts sizzling and becomes crunchy, 2 to 3 mins. Add the atta and sauté to a golden, fragrant state without burning it; overcooking can burn it and make it bitter.
5. The sautéing time varies with the kadai, the flame and room temperature. The recorded preparation took about 12 minutes, and yours may take a different time. Cool a little atta and taste it to check that it no longer tastes raw.
6. Turn off the heat and move the pan to the counter. Mix in the fried nuts, seeds, raisins, ginger, cardamom and jaggery powder, beginning with the lower jaggery quantity. Taste and add more jaggery if needed.
7. Generously grease your hands with ghee. While the mixture is still slightly hot, take portions and press them down tightly in your fist to form balls, ovals or oblongs.
8. A cooled mixture will not bind. If that happens, add 2 tablespoons hot ghee, or pulse the mixture a few times in a grinder or food processor to release its ghee and help it bind. This makes 12 to 13 pinni.
9. Keep the Pinni in an airtight jar for 2 weeks at room temperature, or refrigerate for longer storage.