Soan Papadi
AuthorPriyanka SivaramakrishnanDifficultyAdvancedWispy stands of sugar coated in chickpea flour and ghee topped with crispy nuts.
In a pan, cook the besan and all-purpose flour in ghee to remove the raw taste and smell. It’ll initially start out looking crumbly, but once cooked will start releasing all that ghee and will become a slurry. Keep this aside.
Sprinkle the chopped nuts on a tray and spread it evenly. Set this aside for the last step.
In a fresh pan, melt the sugar down until it starts to turn golden brown. This would take about 15-20 minutes. Remove it from the heat and pour it onto a greased silicone sheet or buttered paper.
The sugar is still molten and ridiculously hot at this stage, so just lift the sides and spread it around (like how you would an omelette,) and wait for a minute or two, constantly agitating the sugar. Just as it cools down, it will start pulling away from the surface. That’s the cue to start.
The first stage is where you pull the sugar into a pliable stage. Simple pull straight, fold. Pull straight, fold. It is absolutely gorgeous to see. The sugar starts from being this deep, dark caramel brown to a shiny golden and that’s the cue to stop.
Make a circle with the sugar and pour the warm besan flour slurry in the middle. After making sure every inch of the circle is coated with the slurry, gently tug the circle with both hands, coaxing the sugar to loosen up.
When the circle gets too large, make it into a figure eight and fold. Now you have two circles. Keep coating the sugar with the slurry and pulling gently. Move the circle constantly to make sure that you are pulling evenly. Keep repeating these steps. Remember, the key step is to hold onto the circle, no matter how many times you fold.
Stop when the sugar becomes as thin as strands. Separate the strands a little and lay them on the tray, on top of roasted chopped nuts.
After 5-10 mins, chop them up into desired pieces.
Ingredients
Directions
In a pan, cook the besan and all-purpose flour in ghee to remove the raw taste and smell. It’ll initially start out looking crumbly, but once cooked will start releasing all that ghee and will become a slurry. Keep this aside.
Sprinkle the chopped nuts on a tray and spread it evenly. Set this aside for the last step.
In a fresh pan, melt the sugar down until it starts to turn golden brown. This would take about 15-20 minutes. Remove it from the heat and pour it onto a greased silicone sheet or buttered paper.
The sugar is still molten and ridiculously hot at this stage, so just lift the sides and spread it around (like how you would an omelette,) and wait for a minute or two, constantly agitating the sugar. Just as it cools down, it will start pulling away from the surface. That’s the cue to start.
The first stage is where you pull the sugar into a pliable stage. Simple pull straight, fold. Pull straight, fold. It is absolutely gorgeous to see. The sugar starts from being this deep, dark caramel brown to a shiny golden and that’s the cue to stop.
Make a circle with the sugar and pour the warm besan flour slurry in the middle. After making sure every inch of the circle is coated with the slurry, gently tug the circle with both hands, coaxing the sugar to loosen up.
When the circle gets too large, make it into a figure eight and fold. Now you have two circles. Keep coating the sugar with the slurry and pulling gently. Move the circle constantly to make sure that you are pulling evenly. Keep repeating these steps. Remember, the key step is to hold onto the circle, no matter how many times you fold.
Stop when the sugar becomes as thin as strands. Separate the strands a little and lay them on the tray, on top of roasted chopped nuts.
After 5-10 mins, chop them up into desired pieces.
Notes