3/20/07

Home made Soan Papdi/Soan Halwa



Also known as Soan Halwa , Soan papdi is one of those sweets which is easy to cook, gud to eat . I will be travelling to India this month end, so this recipe was an effort to use up some of the gram flour (besan) . Any suggestions for the remaining flour ?

For those of you who have never made a 2 thread consistency syrup , here is a tip , it takes longer than the single thread consistency :) to check the doneness press the syrup between your thumb and forefinger and gently pull apart , you should see two threads of the syrup ... simple :)




Ingredients:

1 cup plus 1 tbsp ghee

Sift together:


1 1/4 cup gramflour (Besan)
1 1/4 cup All purpose flour (maida)For the syrup:2 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cup water
2 tbsp. milk
a generous pinch of saffron
For garnish:

1/2 tsp. cardamom pdr
2-3 tbsps. pistachios, sliced




Method:

Sift both flours together.

Heat ghee in a heavy saucepan. Add flour mixture and roast on low till light golden. Add 1/4 tsp cardamom pdr , mix well. Keep aside to cool a little, stirring occasionally. Prepare syrup simultaneously.

To make the syrup cook the sugar , water n milk , do not let it boil untill the sugar is dissolved. The milk is added to remove impurities , so discard the scum or stratin the syrup once the scum is formed and continue cooking. Now add the crushed saffron threads. Bring syrup to 2 1/2 thread consistency. Keep an eye on the consistency , once the required consistency is attained pour the syrup at once into the flour mixture. Beat well with a large fork till the mixture forms threadlike flakes. Pour onto a greased surface or thali and roll to 1" thickness lightly. Sprinkle the cardamom powder, pistachios and gently press down with palm.Cool slightly, cut into 1" squares, wrap individually into square pieces of plastic wrap or polythene sheets . Store in an airtight container.

Update : This recipe has consistenly been the most read and viewed one ever since its been published. Though its very tempting to make it, not everybody is successful.

 Recently Suresh from Pune commented ".... No doubt that the recipie displayed here tastes good (and thats what really matters) and I am going to be making it many more times in the future. However, it is for 'soan halwa' and not for 'soan papdi'. "


So I decided, to rename the recipe as Soan Papdi or Soan Halwa and avoid any disappointment to my precious readers.
 
Whether you get papdi or halwa, the point is to enjoy making it and eating it with family and friends.
 
Happy Cooking my friend !

63 comments:

TNL said...

Lovely recipe...! I am going to make this, you make it sound so easy!

trupti

Mandira said...

Great recipe for soan papdi, will try this soon.

Anonymous said...

Trupti and Mandira- Thank you , I am glad u liked the recipe, just a tip , plz make sure that the syrup is 2.5 thread consistency n later beat the mixture well till flakes are formed , these 2 things are the only things to look for in the recipe and r important , gud luck gals !

Anonymous said...

Is Soan Papdi so easy to make. I would definitely try it..

You have really wonderful recipes here...Good to find your blog

-Sushma

Rahin said...

hi sushma , thanks for your encouragement :)

Pravs said...

I thought sweets like these are the best when you buy from sweet shops. Yours looks just like sweet shop product. You must be a great cook for sure. :D

Anonymous said...

Hey Rahin, thanks for such a lovely recipe.i didn't you could make that at home and it looks just like the soan papadi you get at the 'Halwai'!thanks

Seema Bhat said...

Rahin,
Soan papdi is one of the sweets that I just can have and have. I have seen them make it and found it to be a long professional process. Loved your version. Gottu try it. Presentation is also good. Thanx for sharing and making my mouth water ;-).

Anonymous said...

hey pravs , madhuli , seema ...thank u :)

Hyderabadi's said...

Greata Recipe...Will try it soon...

Anonymous said...

thank u hyderabadi's

Kajal said...

Hi Rahin,
Thanks for sharing my favorite sweet. This is very simple to make this soan Papdi at home. I copy your recipe and I will try it definitely. Sona papdi looks delicious.:))

Anonymous said...

hi kajal, thanks , do lemme know how it turns out :)

TBC said...

Soan Papdi is my husband's fav sweet. He has been telling me to make it for a long time now but I never knew where to start! I am bookmarking this now. Thanks for the recipe.

Rahin said...

Hey tbc, Thanks , I hope u n ur husband enjoy this as much as we did

Anonymous said...

Hi, thank you for this recipe..I tried this now and it came out as a combination of mysorepak and soanpapdi..The sweet was still a sweet and was palatable though:)
I checked the 2 thread consistency by pouring the syrup in water to see if they round up...Can you please suggest what might be the problem? Thanks.

Anonymous said...

hianonymous , n thanks for trying this recipe , i appreciate ur feedback.

THe most crucial steps for this sweet are obtaining the 2.5 thread consistency (usually for this recipe the finger testing method works well, though it needs a lot of patience:)) and finally beating the mixture after adding the syrup till it becomes flaky.....if u dont skimp on it, u should get the flaky consistency

I hope this shud be fine

I would love to know if u have any other doubts/ questions , u can also email me , my id is in my profile page

Gud luck to you n do lemme know how they turn out .. or drop me a line here ....

Unknown said...

hi rahin, first time on your blog, i was searching for tried and tested soan papdi recipe with picture in google and I saw urs :) Nice step by step recipe and the tips are cool (i will try the chopped onion-scented candle tip :) , the pics of soan papdi looks pretty:)

I have a blog www.rvkitchentreats.blogspot.com do visit when you get lot of free time:)

Anonymous said...

The recipe displayed is the only recipe available on net. I have tried 04-05 times but mine always ends as son-halwa. Sugar consistency of 2.5 threads was maintained and after pouring the sugar syrup into the mixture I beat the mixture for around 03-04 minutes but flakes never appeared. Whether the flour mixture has to be kept slightly warm and approximately for how many minutes we have to beat the mixture? Pls reply

Anonymous said...

hi roopa, thanks for dropping by , i did visit ur blog n have blogrolled u too

hi anonymous , i appreciate ur spirit, making soan papdi sure needs a lot of patience :) n practise too ...now tht u have tried it 4-5 times i am sure u r gonna make it perfect the next time .....ok this is wht i would suggest ....making sure u get the 2.5 thread consistency is v imp , though it takes a lot of time ...its worth the effort...dont cook the syrup on high heat ....use med heat ...also dont give up beating untill u c flakes , it may take 5- 15 mins ....depends ....but u have to beat till it becomes flaky , coz thts the only way flakes will be formed , if u give up beating before u c the flakes there will b no flakes ...also make sure tht once u obtain the 2.5 thread consistency u imeediately pour the syrup into the flour n start beating , dont let it cool even slightly ....gud luck to u pal i hope my tips help ....lemme know if u still have any doubts/concerns

Anonymous said...

hi, i tried this recipe.it tasted like soanpapdi but the consistency of mine was wrong. i didn't get any flakes. it just turned out to be another burfi.and i don't understand what is 2.5 thread consistency coz the first stage is sticky consistency, second is half string then one string i.e it looks like a firm pearl when dropped on a plate.and secondly, after pouring the sugar syrup into the besan maida mixture, do we have to place it on heat and mix???? do we have to beat on heat? no flakes were formed. it was like a smooth burfi.pls explain. also, would you be knowing how to make kala jamun? thanks a lot.

Anonymous said...

Hi Tara , Thanks for trying out this recipe , let me try n answer your doubts one by one . First of all , don worry if u dont get the store like flakes for the first time ...as i have mentioned it sure takes practise .

OK, now , the 2.5 thread consistency -- It takes much longer than the single thread or even 1.5 thread , the trick is keep chking on it , dont cook it on high heat to get the result faster , cook it on med heat, also press a drop of syrup between ur thumb n forefinger n open slowly u shud c 2 threads n a bit raised or broken thread of syrup , this is exactly when u have reached the 2.5thread consistency . IT takes a lot of time n patience , but is certainly v. imp step .

As soon as u get this consistency u pour the syrup in the besan mixture n beat it , off heat , do not keep it back on stove . At this point the besan mixture should be slightly warm n the syrup is extremely hot . Use a BIG n sturdy fork or an egg beater to beat the mixture , though i have never used it , i guess u can try beating with an electric beater too , because it takes a lot of time to get the flakes , its likes u have to beat till the syrup is completely absorbed by the flour n then starts breaking , but u have to beat the mixture till u start seeing the flakes. Once its set it wont form flakes on its own , you have to beat it till u c its flakes n then only let it set .

About the kala Jamun ....the recipe is same as for regular jamuns, but in this case u add a tbsp/tsp of granulated sugar to the flour mix . This sugar will burn n caramelise when the jamuns are fried n give it the Kala color ...

If u want the detail recipe or have any doubts abt the soan papdi unanswered ...plz feel free to email me ...

Anonymous said...

thanks a lot Rahin. i will soon try it out again. I will also try adding sugar to the gulab jamun mix and try that too and let you know how it turned out. thanks once again. would you be knowing how to make jalebi? i tired but it is not crisp. it turned out to be very soggy. thanks

Anonymous said...

i am also trying to find out how to make bombay halwa in cube form. mine doesn't turn out to be in cubes.

Anonymous said...

hi tara, u r welcome , email me how u make jalebis n may b i cud help , i do have a gud jalebi recipe , which i can share ....
don forget to lemme know how the recipes turn out

also what do u mean by 'bbay halwa in cube form '?, once the halwa is set u cut it in cubes , thts how i do

Anonymous said...

i followed tarladalal's recipe for making jalebis (www.tarladalal.com). it just didn't turn out right. could you pls share the jalebi recipe. my bombay halwa/wheat halwa never gets sets in a way that i can cut it in cube form. it turns out to be like halwa. i can scoop the halwa and eat it. that's all. it is very gooey. and not that firm. pls help.

Anonymous said...

rahin did you view my post?

Anonymous said...

hey tara , mail me ur email address n i will write to u asap :)

Anonymous said...

rahin, i still haven't recd any reply from you

Anonymous said...

hi, tried the jalebi but it was quite soggy from inside.not crisp. the store bought ones look very transparent and firm. anyway thanks a lot.

Anonymous said...

you are welcome tara , i guess u must have soaked them in syrup for too long

Anonymous said...

no i didn't dip them in the syrup. just fried them to see whether it turns out right.:)

Patrick B. said...

I just discovered this delicious treat when a co-worker gave me some of the store-bought stuff. It's phenomenal. I will surely try this recipe one day soon.

R said...

Thanks for sharing the recipe Rahin....

Lakshmi said...

Lovely recipe..you must be having tons of patience to do this sweet as I read thro' all the coments...

Purnima said...

Rahin, my hub all time fave! Wd never dare to attempt it though! You are a master sweetmeat chef- no doubts! :)

Uj said...

I always thought that it was impossible to make Soan papdi at home. I have to try this soon :)

Anonymous said...

Hi Patrick , I like soan papdi too ...good luck to u :)

You are welcome Ramya :)

You are right LG ....this recipe needs a lot of patience above everything else :)

Thank you for ur compliment purnima

Hey Uj lemme know how it turns out ....n gud luck

Unknown said...

Hi Rahin,

Ur soan papdi looks mouth watering.
Thanks a lot for ur recipe.
I tried it,though i got the taste the flakes were missing.I used te same proportion of flours & instead of ghee , i used 2 sticks of butter.My flour mixture after frying in butter had pouring consistency.
What shud be the consistency of the mixture after frying,shud it be like a powder or paste or of pouring consistency??

Please clarify my doubts.
Thanks in advance.
Sujatha

Unknown said...

Hi Rahin,
i know u r a very busy person but can u plz clarify my doubt.I used te same proportion of flours & instead of ghee , i used 2 sticks of butter.My flour mixture after frying in butter had pouring consistency.
What shud be the consistency of the mixture after frying,shud it be like a powder or paste or of pouring consistency??

Regards,
Sujatha

Rahin said...

Hi Sujatha, sincerely sorry for the delay, the flour mixture , after frying in ghee should not be of pouring consistency nor like a paste, I know you used butter, so I suggest to fry the flour untill it drinks all the ghee/butter...it looks like flour mixture for besan laddus before adding milk or slightly moistened flour mixture, it would be in a powder form untill you add the syrup.I would also recommend using ghee instead of butter

I hope I have clarified your doubts, if you have any question, email me n i will get back to you ASAP

Unknown said...

Thanka A Lot Rahin,i will try again & let u know..Once again keep up the good work..& good luck to u always!

Anonymous said...

hi, sorry, it's quite out of topic...but Can someone tell me where I could buy haldiram's soan papdi here in Malaysia (if possible in malacca). Thanks..

Rahin said...

Thanks Sujatha

Sorry I have no idea about the malaysian markets

Unknown said...

Dear Rahin

I have also tried this recipe , and got the same results as others because the instructions are not clear. In a later post I did see you mentioned that the flour mixture and the ghee should not be or pouring consistency and when you read the recipe it doesnt say that hence the reason why we are all getting barfi/halwa type Soan hhahha , however thank you for the recipe ,will def try again !

Rahin said...

hey Jyotika, thanks for your feedbackn bringing it to my notice, i will update the post with more details n also take care to be more descriptive in future posts.

Anonymous said...

I loved this recipie and I was surprised when I was able to get the flakes on the first try. But sadly I had a different problem. Please excuse me as I am not Indian and do not know the terms but surfice to say mine was a little tooo flakey. It tasted just like the ones I have eaten in the sweet shops, but it fell apart totaly. I could not have cut it if I tried. Any clue what I did wrong?

Unknown said...

dear anonymous...
haldiram's soan papdi is available in malaysia, even in malacca!!!! u can buy it at 'devibala', little india market... n if u r lucky enough, u can also get haldiram's rasgulla there... n this is d best tym coz they keep xtra stock during diwali...

Anonymous said...

Thank you very much for letting me know about haldiram's soan papdi. I have had it before. But I am in the US and here it is not very fresh. It is stale. Having spent a lot of time overseas, I got kind of spoiled on good sweets. Being Russian by decent I was raised in the kitchen, and can cook anything. And even though my Soan Papdi was falling apart it was far better than what was available in Boxes in the US. I am going to try again this morning. I am guessing I cut it too fast. Because it said to wait a short time then cut. So maybe I waited too short of a time.

Rahin said...

hey anonymous, thanks for trying this recipe, a big hooraah for getting the flakes :) Actually in case of soan papdi the more flakes the better, so you must have done a really gud job with the syrup and the beating part. For you to be able to cut it into slices I would suggest you to press the mixture lightly with your palm after pouring it in the greased plate and let it cool slightly before cutting , it does fall apart once its completely cool and so its wrapped into individual packets :) Hope this helps.


Hey Payal, thanks for passing on the info.

Sailaja Damodaran said...

Hi,
Iam thinking of making it tomorrow,I have a doubt.after sugar syrup has reached the consistency.....are we switching off the gas & remaining process is done on the counter top.I meam mixing the flour & sugar syrup.....?

Rahin said...

Hi Sailaja , you have to mix the syrup and flour and beat it off the stove , gud luck to you :)

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ayesha said...

Almost been a year since the last comment but yeah m gonna give this a try today. Using a fork is better of a hand whisk?

Anonymous said...

Hi my wife and I just had some "store" Soan papdi. A very interesting experience. We had to immediately look it up on the web, and found your blog site. Very instructive, and left us with this question.
The 2 1/2 thread part is understood, and the part about how hot it is; so, how do you not get burned when 'stretching' the syrup to determine the 'thread count'?

Anonymous said...

Good day Rahin - my wife and I just had some 'store' Soan papdi. It was a very interesting experience.
We immediately went to the web to find out more about it, and were "led" to your blog.
After reading your excellent instructions we have one question: How do you keep from getting burned while stretching the syrup - testing for 2 1/2 threads?

2 in Dover, NH

Suresh said...

No doubt a good recipe. I tried it 4 times and each time I got 'soan halwa'.

Frustated at not getting it right I went to a nearby sweet shop and enquired about the procedure. I was told that it was a complaex process and even in my city of Pune, which is one of the major cities in India, there are very few enterprises that actually prepare 'soan papdi' and then retail them to various sweet shops in the city. Enquires with one such enterprise revealed that preparation of the 'soan papdi' involves a somewhat complex procedure that unfortunately cannot be replicated in our kitchen. That is probably why even tarla dalal does not have that recipie on her website.

No doubt that the recipie displayed here tastes good (and thats what really matters) and I am going to be making it many more times in the future. However, it is for 'soan halwa' and not for 'soan papdi'.

Rahin said...

Hi Suresh, thanks for your feedback, I certainly appreciate it. Though I got soan papdi from this recipe, I would say that it was not as fine as the ones we get in store. But I was happy with it n thought its good for a homemade soan papdi, as making the one like the professionals is really a work of art n "involves complex procedures that cannot be replicated in the home kitchen " (as you rightly pointed out).

So just to save any further disappointments for my dear readers, thanks to you, I have decided to rename the recipe as soan papdi/soan halwa, the point is to enjoy the recipe.

Keep those feedbacks coming and Happy Cooking

Supriya.P @finediningindian.com said...

thanks for a simple good recipe

Anonymous said...

can soan papdi be made with besan alone withouy maida

Rahin said...

I havent tried making it without maida, so have no idea , but dont think tht should be a problem

m.k said...

Itna asaan nai h jitna bta diya h, try kro bna nai paoge!!!!