Jyothi Pindi

I was wondering what I could contribute to JFI hosted by Santhi focusing on Flour this month. Thanks to Anupama for posting about the Marathi tradition of cooking Puran during the month of Shravan as it reminded me of this South Indian traditional recipe that is done during many festivals and family traditions.

This is my mom’s recipe for the Jyothi Pindi…

Ingredients:

Roasted Chana Dal/Dalia finely powdered and sifted – 200 grams

Rice flour – 100 grams

Jaggery (grated) – 100 grams

Home-made Ghee – 100 grams

Cardamom powder – 1/4 tsp

Pumpkin seeds (coarsely crushed) – 1 tsp

Cashew nuts (finely chopped) – 1 tsp

Method:

1. Dissolve the grated jaggery in 100 ml of water and strain to remove dirt and dust particles. Simmer the jaggery water till it starts boiling and remove from heat.

2. Now pour half amount of ghee and stir in both dalia flour and rice flour alternatively in small quantities.

3.Finally mix in the remaining ghee,cardamom powder and pumpkin seeds and incorporate them into the jaggery flour mixture to form soft dough.

This step takes some patience but it’s worth it 🙂

The dalia flour gives the soft silky texture whereas rice flour gives the strength and hardness to the jyothi so you can adjust the texture of the dough by adding little amount of either of the flour to get the texture you prefer. But take care that you don’t add too much of it and lose the ratio balance.

4. Now you’re all set to make jyothis out of the dough. The dough will be very pliable and forgiving if you have got the right texture. You can either make rectangular ones as seen in the picture or small diyas like Anupama. Once you have given the basic shape make a small dent to accommodate ghee for the wick. Soak the cotton wick in the ghee for 10 min and then light them for better and even glow. 🙂

The entire process is rewarded during the lighting of the Jyothi when the brightness of it spreads rays of happiness and joy in everyone.

Served with a dollop of ghee and love… It’s just a piece of heaven.