Panjiri Recipe (How To Make Panjiri) | Cook Click N Devour!!! (2024)

Panjiri is a delicious winter treat with roasted whole wheat flour, nuts and seeds. You can make this healthy sweet as a winter supplement for toddlers and kids.

With all the goodness of wheat flour, nuts, seeds and other ingredients with warming properties this is an excellent for harsh winters. Here is how to make panjiri recipe in traditional Punjabi way at home with step by step photos.

Panjiri is a childhood favorite that we grew up eating. I have mentioned about my mom’s recipe collection here many times and this panjiri is one excellent gem from it.

Few north Indian specialties we grew up eating and enjoy a lot at home are aloo paratha, dal fry, dodha burfi, palak paneer, pav bhaji at home. This panjiri also known as dabara was one such treat that we loved so much.

It is such a lovely recipe, you will be amazed how these nutritious and warming ingredients come together into such a delicious and addictive treat.

This winter make a large batch of dabara and enjoy, I am sure this will become your winter staple 🙂

About This Recipe

What Is Panjiri?

Panjiri is a traditional sweet from Punjab prepared especially during winters. It is highly nutritious, nourishing and provides you with instant energy.

It is a delicious mix of roasted whole wheat flour, nuts, seeds and dry fruits and sweetened with sugar. Traditionally raw brown sugar or khandsari is used in this recipe. We can also use powdered jaggery.

In Punjab and other states of north India, this is a staple in postpartum diet. It is prepared specially for lactating mothers as it keeps them energized, increases the supply of mother’s milk and warms the body from inside.

During winters, kids are also regularly fed with this dish. It is an excellent dish to keep them warm, increase their immunity and keep them energetic during winters.

If you are looking for tasty ways to keep your family and yourself healthy and energetic this winter, this dish is your best bet.

There are loads of health benefits for panjiri and it is one of the best nutritional supplement for kids.

You can serve this as a wholesome afterschool snack or even as breakfast. 3-4 tablespoons of this dabara with milk is such a satiating meal. You can serve with saffron milk, cardamom milk, golden milk too.

Why This Recipe Works?

This is the easiest and best recipe for panjiri, yes I said that 🙂 My recipe is a perfect balance of nuts, seeds and dry fruits along with a generous dose of lotus seeds or makhana.

I have used pure homemade desi ghee and organic whole wheat flour in this recipe. The flavor and taste of this panjiri is truly the best and you cannot stop eating it, at least we cannot at our home 🙂

It is so easy to make panjiri at home. All you need to do are measure the ingredients and fry them in low flame. You can easily make this while doing any other task in the kitchen. Just maintain low heat and stir frequently.

Keeping this recipe as base you add loads of add-ins to make it tastier and healthier.

Do try this yummy panjiri recipe that is

easy, super simple to make.

delicious and flavorful

healthy for breakfast or snack

Vegetarian

Ingredients To Make Panjiri

The ingredients you need to make this winter delicacy dish are very few simple ones. These are easily available in India in regular grocery stores. In the USA and other countries you can get them online or Indian stores.

Whole wheat flour– This is the base of this recipe. I prefer to use organic whole grain wheat flour. If you have a flour mill nearby, you can easily grind wheatberries and source your flour.

The point is to make sure it is of finest quality.

Semolina– Sooji or rava or fine semolina is also added in this dish for flavor and crunch. The flavor and taste of ghee roasted sooji is just excellent in this dish. Sooji is one the commonly used ingredients especially during winters for its warming properties.

Ghee– We are roasting all the ingredients in ghee to make panjiri. Ghee is indispensable in this recipe and I would not recommend any other substitutes. Use homemade ghee of possible else go for good quality store bought ones, preferably organic.

Makhana– These are extremely popular snack in India. Makhana also known as lotus seed or fox nut seed are roasted until crisp and consumed as snack. Here in this recipe we are roasting makhana in ghee and making it into a coarse powder and mix with other ingredients while making panjiri.

Sugar– Always use powdered sugar to make panjiri as it blends well. Sometimes when you use regular sugar it will caramelize on roasting and panjiri may turn bitter.

Instead of powdered sugar you can also use jaggery powder, cane sugar or light brown sugar. Traditionally khandsari is used to make panjiri. You can use the same if you prefer.

Dry fruits and nuts– Chopped almonds, cashew nuts, pistachios, raisins, pumpkin seeds, musk melon seeds, dry coconut flakes, poppy seeds are the ones we use in this recipe.

I sometimes add flax seeds and sunflower seeds too.

Gond– gond or edible gum crystals is one of the interesting ingredient added in this recipe. These are commonly used in India during winters for their warming nature. It is one of the staple ingredient in postpartum diet. This is available in Indian stores and you can leave it out if unavailable.

Other ingredients– A pinch of carom seeds, some nutmeg, sonth or dried ginger powder, green cardamoms and saffron for flavor.

How To Make Panjiri

Roasting Dry Fruits & Nuts

First of all measure 1/4 cup cashews, 1/4 almonds, 1/8 pistachios and chop them finely. You can use a food processor to chop the nuts. Also measure out 1/4 cup raisins.

Heat 2 tablespoons ghee in a heavy pan. Add gond edible gum and fry in medium heat.

In few seconds the gum crystals will puff up and turn golden. Remove them with a slotted spoon to a plate. Set aside.

In the same ghee add makhana and roast until it turns crispy. Remove to a plate.

Now add the chopped cashews, almonds, pistachios pumpkin seeds, flax seeds, and fry for a minute. Once the nuts are partly fried add the raisins too and fry until they puff up. Keep aside along with fried edible gum crystals and makhane.

In the same ghee roast poppy seeds too until they turn golden and set aside.

Roasting Whole Wheat Flour & Sooji

Now to the same pan add remaining ghee and heat it for a minute. Add 1 cup wheat flour and 2 tablespoons sooji and 1/2 teaspoon carom seeds.

Mix well and start roasting in low flame. The flours will turn light golden and very flavorful. Remove to a large bowl that would hold all the ingredients for panjiri we roasted so far.

Making Panjiri

Take 1.25 cup sugar in a mixer grinder jar.

Blend to a fine powder. If you powdered sugar or jaggery powder, just use 1 cup of either one.

Take all the roasted nuts, edible gum and makhane in the same jar.

Blend them to a coarse powder.

Combine powdered sugar and all the other ingredients we roasted to the roasted wheat flour and give a very good mix.

Add 1 teaspoon cardamom powder, 1/4 teaspoon dry ginger powder, 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg powder and a big pinch of roasted saffron. Mix thoroughly. You can also add dried rose buds or petals, a pinch of kamarkas or flame of the forest (sage herb) in panjiri recipe but I did not add those.\

Now your delicious dabara or panjiri is ready to serve. Make sure it is cooled thoroughly before storing in airtight jars.

Serving Suggestions & Uses

As breakfast or after school snack with milk.

As a part of postpartum diet (Seek doctor’s advice before consuming anything if you are not used to)

Make small panjiri ladoos by adding melted ghee.

In cookies and muffins as topping.

This panjiri lasts for 3-4 weeks. Store in a clean dry jar.

Health Benefits

• Warming winter food for toddlers, kids & adults
• Extremely nutritious and calorie dense food for toddlers and kids
• Instant energizing breakfast or snack with milk
• Very good nutritious supplement for lactating mothers.
• Helps in regaining strength after delivery, post workout etc.
• Vegetarian, clean & healthy
• Rich, delicious & flavorful
• Stays good for months.

Tips For Making Best panjiri

Slow roasting-to make the best ever panjiri with awesome flavor slow roast the wheat flour until it turns crispy and aromatic. It takes around good 12-15 minutes but so worth the time.

Desi ghee-The ghee you use can make or break your panjiri. Use very good quality desi ghee or clarified butter. I always use homemade ghee for my sweets, pulao recipes.

Adding semolina is optional. it is added for its flavor and crispy texture in panjiri.

If you are adding gond or edible gum in panjiri, dry roast them very well in ghee until they pop and turn crispy.

Nutmeg, carom seeds, sonth or dry ginger, saffron are very warming and produces heat in the body. So add only the quantity mentioned in the recipe.

If you want to make this recipe in summer, I suggest you leave out sonth and carom seeds. A pinch of saffron and nutmeg is okay though.

Here I have used powdered raw sugar as sweetener. You can use jaggery, raw cane sugar, nattu sakkarai, palm sugar etc for making panjiri recipe.

More Winter Special Recipes

Gajar Halwa

Gond Ladoo

Roasted Winter Vegetables

Poori

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