Gulpapte - a fast dessert

One of the Karnataka sweets, so easy to make and tasty to eat. It is made with two kinds of flour, ragi or whole wheat. Since whole wheat is more accessible I am posting it's recipe. Same proportions apply to ragi flour as well. Making Gulpapte with ragi flour make it a gluten free dessert. This brings back memories of my childhood at my granny's place. She used to make it and ask all of her grand kids to eat.. I never ate coz I did not like sweets as a kid. Gran used get angry on me for not tasting... :D... Me is what me is, never listened to her. Now when I have to make it to eat, I realize the value of what she used to do. Miss you gran :(... I made Gulpapte last year for the first time and never in my life I imagined liking gulpapte so much that I would repeatedly make them. My mom's favorite and dear husband loves it too so it is a double bonus... It does not have the gran's touch however has her recipe...very simple to make and will get ready in 30 minutes max!!

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 10 minutes

Pieces: About 8

Ingredients:

1. Wheat flour - 1 cup
2. Jaggery - 3/4 cup, grated
3. clarified butter/ghee - 2 tbsp[can be substituted with 1 tbsp of unsalted butter or very mild flavoured oil]
4. Water - enough to cover jaggery about 1/2 to 3/4 cup
5. Grated coconut - 1/2 cup [optional]
6. Cardamom - 2 crushed or 2 pinches of powder

Method:

• In a small pot take jaggery and water and heat till all of the jaggery dissolves.
• In another pan, heat clarified butter, add cardamom and flour. Roast till all rawness goes away. You will know when your kitchen starts smelling very fragrant.
• Now add coconut and roast for a couple of minutes.
• Add the water jaggery mixture little by little and keep mixing so that it does not form lumps. Keep doing this till all the jaggery gets well incorporated into the flour.
• Cook till the mixture leaves the pan and forms a ball when you are stirring.
• Turn the stove of, set the pan aside and let it cool to touch.
• Oil your palms lightly and roll them into lime sized balls to enjoy!

Tips:

• If you want to make it richer, add finely chopped nuts and/or raisins.
• If you want to store them for longer time, do not add coconut since it will start spoiling faster.