Authentic Kathiyavadii Sheera recipe with jaggery or gur!! hail oi! ;)

ATTN: West coast people

Imagine it's raining cats and dogs outside and howling wind is keeping up with rain fairly decently  You can't go anywhere in this miserable weather. You already have two cups of coffee/chai/Jack Denial in order to warm up. Now you want something to comfort you while you watch crappy reality television and keep your hang over at a bay right?

[Hang on for a minute, while I make east coasters miserable ok?]

ATTN: east coast people,

Imagine it's been snowing for past 4 days and there is a foot high snow outside. You just came in after shoveling your side walk second time in past 12 hours. Sucks hardcore, ain't it?

You want something hot and sweet and nourishing to your tired bones.

Well, mope not! I have a perfect dish for you. It's easy, it's fast and best of all you don't need to make a run to the grocery store to make it!!! I know! (ok it's true only for Indians, all my non-Indian friends please make a run to Indian grocery store before you start drinking/shoveling/being sad. My apologies.)

Without further ado here is Sheera recipe.

You can eat as dessert or side dish or itself if you don’t mind sweet dish as main dish.

Serves 2 people normally or 4-5 calorie conscious people. 

Ingredients:

1 cup whole Wheat flour (make sure it’s not refined wheat flour known as maida)

1/2 cup ghee (clarified butter)

1/2 cup jaggery (substitute powdered sugar if jaggery is not available)

3 cup water.

optional: (you can use either, both or none)

1/4 cup almonds, thinly sliced (brings richness)

or

3 table spoon dry ginger powder ("Shunth" if you go to Indian store); (brings little hotness to this all around sweet dish, makes cold and cough go away);(my favorite version)

Procedure:

1. In a wok heat up ghee for about 1/2 minute. Lower heat add flour. Stir the flour with broad spatula continuously for five minutes so that it is roasted evenly.

2. Add either almond or dried ginger powder in to flour. Keep roasting the flour for 5-7 minutes more or until mixture is deep brown. (if you use non stick pan it will be around 12 minutes and you will require really strong arms, normal wok is recommended.)

3. Meanwhile boil water in a separate pan. now if you are using jaggery then add it into water, let it melt into water. If you are using sugar then no need to add it into water. Add the boiling water to the flour mixture slowly. Increase the flame a little and stir gently in one direction to avoid forming any lumps.

4. In 2-3 minutes water will be absorbed completely. Lower the flame, add sugar into mixture, if you added jaggery in step 3 then of course don't add sugar. Continue to stir for 2-3 minutes or until it’s mixed well.

There you go, ultimate comfort food is ready. It’s calorie count is really high but totally worth it.

It looks like this:

Picture courtesy: http://pedatha1.files.wordpress.com