Imagine having a cookie, and that cookie has besan (gram) flour instead of all-purpose, ghee instead of butter, and that the ghee is double the amount of butter recommended. That is a Mysore Pav!
I have been craving this wondrous, delectable sweet for a few days and when that call became too great to ignore, I went out and got it (you cannot say I’m indecisive). I had religiously avoided venturing out into CoronaLand but the stomach wants what it wants! At first I opted for a 200gm pack and then I asked the guy at the counter to add another 200gm and then took 3 more pieces just to be on the safe side. Loosely translated 400gms of this ambrosia and you are set for a 2× weight gain. But never let that be a deterrent! We will slay the ‘fat-dragon’ another day!
Mysore pak is an Indian sweet that originated in the city of Mysore in Karnataka hence the name Mysore Pak. Paaka meaning sugar syrup. Interesting facts (or story) about the sweet : the then Maharaja of Mysore, Krishnaraja Wadiyar (1884–1940), was a food connoisseur (all the good ones are) and enjoyed different cuisines cooked in his ginormous kitchens. His chef, Kakasura Madappa, was credited with the invention of the dish and Madappa’s desecedants still run a bakery following the original recipe. It’s called Guru Sweets located in Mysore.
My mother’s aunt used to make batches of it at her home in Alleppey. But it was a much harder version from what we get now at Sri Krishna Sweet house. This is softer, definitely more ghee-laden and as the Lays jingle goes “no one can eat just one”! I break off half a slice, but it melts in my mouth before I can say ‘Mysore’ that I have to have another, just to be sure I really did eat it. It is indeed food fit for a king ( a king who wouldn’t fit into much if he kept at it)!
This piece of yellow sweet inevitably will bring a smile to your face. The smile is reason enough to have another piece because smilers never lose and frowners never win. Try the recipe from Rakskitchen.
With Words 