Gajak
Veg
Vegan
A brittle, crisp winter sweet made from sesame seeds and jaggery pressed into thin slabs — the defining cold-weather confection of Agra, Mathura, and Morena. Snapped into irregular pieces, intensely nutty, sticky-sweet, and sold at every North Indian sweet shop from October to March.
Cuisines
Rajasthani
Malwi
Haryanvi
Awadhi
Himachali
Banarasi
Punjabi
Delhi
Marwari
Brij
Best for
Breakfast
Lunch
Recipe
Prep: 10 min
Cook: 30 min
Total: 40 min
2-3 servings
Ingredients
| 1 cup | sesame seeds |
| 1 cup | jaggery |
| 1/4 cup | water |
| 1 tablespoon | ghee |
| 1/4 teaspoon | cardamom powder |
| — | ghee for greasing |
Instructions
- 1 Dry roast the sesame seeds in a pan on low heat until they turn golden and aromatic. Set aside to cool.
- 2 In a heavy-bottomed pan, add jaggery and water. Heat on medium flame until the jaggery melts completely.
- 3 Add ghee and cardamom powder to the melted jaggery and mix well.
- 4 Continue to cook the jaggery syrup until it reaches a hard ball consistency. To test, drop a small amount of syrup into a bowl of cold water; it should form a hard ball.
- 5 Once the syrup is ready, quickly add the roasted sesame seeds and mix thoroughly to coat the seeds evenly.
- 6 Grease a flat surface or a rolling board with ghee. Pour the hot mixture onto the greased surface.
- 7 Using a greased rolling pin, roll out the mixture to a thickness of about 1/4 inch.
- 8 While the mixture is still warm, cut it into desired shapes using a sharp knife.
- 9 Allow the gajak to cool completely and store in an airtight container.
Tips
Ensure the jaggery syrup reaches the correct consistency to ensure the gajak sets properly.