Cookbook:Ghevar (Rajasthani Honeycomb Fritter)

Ghevar (Rajasthani Honeycomb Fritter)
Category	Indian recipes
Yield	10 pieces
Time	2 hours
Difficulty

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Ghevar is an Indian delicacy originally from the state of Rajasthan. It is made with a round mold and has a crispy but porous texture. The following recipe has been entered with inputs from Tarla Dalal recipe book.

Ingredients

Sugar syrup

• 1 cup white granulated sugar
• ½ cup water

Ghevar

• 1 ¾ cups (200 grams) plain flour (maida)
• 1 tbsp (10 grams) arrowroot starch or cornstarch
• ¼ cup melted ghee, cooled
• A few drops kewda essence (extract of Pandanus flower)

Procedure

Sugar syrup

1. Combine the sugar and water in a saucepan. Simmer until it reaches a 1-string consistency syrup.
2. Remove from the heat and keep warm.

Ghevar

1. Combine the flour, arrowroot, and melted ghee in a bowl.
2. Very gradually add 1 cup of water in a thin stream, whisking continuously and taking care to see that an emulsion is formed and the water and ghee do not separate.
3. Add 2 more cups of water again in a thin stream while whisking continuously. At no point should the ghee and water separate. The batter should be of a very thin coating consistency, a little thinner than crêpe batter. More water can be added if required to achieve the required consistency. Keep the batter in a cool place away from the heat.
4. Add melted ghee to a kadhai or other pot/pan. If desired, place a ghevar mould or other metal ring mould in the pan. The ghee should come up to ¾ of the height of the mould.
5. Heat the pan over medium heat, and gradually pour a ladleful of the batter directly into the centre of the mould in a very thin stream. The batter should froth and migrate towards the edges of the mold.
6. When the froth subsides, gradually add another spoonful to the centre in a thin stream. If the batter builds up in the center, use a skewer to push it towards the edges and maintain a hole in the center. Repeat seven times, adding the batter to the centre hole each time.
7. Increase the heat, and pour a few ladlefuls of hot ghee into the centre to help the ghevar cook.
8. When the centre is firm and cooked and the whole thing is golden brown, pull the ghevar out gently by inserting a wooden skewer in the centre and pulling it out of the ghee. Let any excess ghee drip off.
9. Immerse ghevar in sugar syrup, drain quickly, and place on a serving plate.
10. Repeat the cooking steps, using the remaining batter to make 9 pieces of ghevar.

Notes, tips, and variations

• A mould is not required to cook the ghevar; if the pot containing the ghee has a small enough diameter, it will act as the mold to shape the ghevar.
• Usually ghevar is served with piping hot rabri, a variety of very thick sweetened milk.