Blog train,  Health

Three Easy “Winter Pak Recipes” for Good Health and Energy!

February 18, 2020 /

Hello everyone and I hope you all are doing well. 

I am really glad that you are finding winter wellness posts informative and useful and today, I am excited to share next post of this series. 

In this post, I am sharing three winter Pak recipes, hoping you would like it. 

What is winter Pak? 

As I had mentioned before in the previous post and explained the importance of eating healthy, nutritious and winter appropriate food during this season. Winter Pak is the same thing that contains ingredients which help keep our body warm during winter. These recipes are also called “Winter tonic food” and usually have some high calorie ingredients like (ghee and dry fruits) and some winter special spices and herbs like dry ginger powder (saunth). These winter Pak recipes taste so good and keep our body healthy and energetic during the winter season. 

Winter Pak recipes 

I am sharing three easy winter Pak recipes, in this post. Hoping you would like it. 

 So, let’s get started with the first winter Pak recipe. 

Urad dal ladoo 

Do you know, Urad dal is a highly nutritious substances and have a great therapeutic quality to reduce joint pain. Unfortunately, most of household did not use Urad dal as a routine recipe and we have to take extra efforts using this in our routine diet. Especially during winter, consumption of Urad dal is really beneficial  and it helps in keeping our joints healthy and disease free. 

I belong to Madhya Pradesh and here, Urad dal ladoo is one of the most famous winter sweet.  my mom used to make this as soon as winter approaches. Here I am sharing her way of making Urad dal ladoo. 

Ingredients 

  • Urad dal 2cup 
  • Mixed dry fruits like makhana, almonds, and cashew- 1 cup 
  • Gaggery or sugar- 1 and half cup (or as per your taste) 
  • Ghee as required 
  • Edible gum 10 gram 
  • Dry ginger powder (or saunth)- 10 gram 
  • Grated coconut – half cup 

Method 

  • There are two ways to use Urad dal. Either you can use Urad dal flour directly (that is easily available on stores) or you can prepare it at home. First, you need to wash the dal and let it dry on the clean surface for few hours. Then dry roast the Urad dal on medium flame for 20-30 minute and grind this in grinder as fine powder. 
  • If you are using ready-made Urad flour then take some ghee in kadhai or heavy bottom vessel and roast this flour on medium heat for 20-30 minute. This is one of the most important steps and you need to roast this flour properly, till it turns golden brown and a nice aroma comes from this.  
  • Then, prepare the dry fruits. First, take some ghee and stir fry almond, makhana and cashew one by one. Fry them till they turn golden brown. Now, let this cool for a while and then grind them in grinder as a coarse powder one by one. 
  • You can add edible gum too, in this ladoo. First, heat the ghee and fry gum, it will change into fluffy form within few minutes and then crush them gently with hands. 
  • Now, prepare Jaggery. Heat the ghee in pan and add Jaggery in it. Heat for few minutes, until it melted properly (no need to make Jaggery syrup, you need to do it only for few minutes). If you are using sugar, then grind sugar in the grinder and make sugar powder.  
  • Then, take a large vessel and mixed all ingredients one by one. Start from roasted Urad flour, then add dry fruit powders, spices (dry ginger powder), edible gum, grated coconut and lastly jaggery mixture. 
  • Mixed all these ingredients properly. Take little ghee in your palm and start making ladoos. Keep remember, mixture should be slightly warm, otherwise it will be hard to give it proper shape. 
  • Your delicious and healthy Urad dal ladoo is ready to eat. Store in air tighter container and enjoy at any time of day.  

Methi pak or Methi ladoo 

This one is one of the most famous winter Pak recipes in Gujrat. And I had learnt this from my mother in law. Fenugreek seed or Methi dana is a highly nutritious substance that has lots of health benefits ranging from good digestion to blood sugar control and reduce the joint pain and inflammation. During winter, it is extremely beneficial for arthritic people and help them in maintaining joint mobility by reducing joint pain and inflammation. 

Along with Methi power, we also add numbers of other spices and herbs (like white muesli powder, long pepper powder and saunth or dry ginger powder), in this ecipe.  Addition of these wonderful ingredients make this an amazing winter tonic food and provides great benefits to our overall health. 

Ingredients

  • Methi aata or fenugreek flour 100 gram 
  • Wheat flour or gehu ka aata 100 gram 
  • Jaggery 250 gram 
  • Ghee 250-300 gram 
  • Mixed dry fruits (cashew, almonds etc.) 1 bowl 
  • Edible gum or Gaund 50 gram 
  • Saunth or dry ginger powder 20 gram 
  • Ganthoda or peepramul or long pepper powder 10 gram 
  • Kishmish ( mannuka version) 1 TBSP 
  • White Muesli powder half teaspoon 
  • Grated coconut powder 

Method 

  • Heat the ghee in a pan and roast the wheat flour on medium heat. Usually it takes 15-20 minute for proper roasting. As soon as the flour color changes into golden brown and a nice aroma comes, it indicates that flour is roasted properly. 
  • In same way, roast the methi flour too for 15-20 minutes. 
  • In the same ghee, now add edible gum or Gaund and fry it until it becomes fluffy. After frying, let it cool down for some time and make a powder with it. 
  • Then add coconut powder and roast for 2 minutes. 
  • Now, add jaggery (cut with the knife in small pieces before adding) and melt into a semi solid form. Instead of jaggery, you can use sugar powder too.  
  • Take a large bowl and now, start mixed everything one by one. 
  • Add spices too (dry ginger powder, white muesli powder and long pepper powder). 
  • Mixed everything well into a uniform mixture. 
  • Now, grease your hands with little ghee 
  • And start making round bolls as ladoo. 
  • Your healthy Methi ladoo is ready to it. 

Special tip– this ladoo taste bitter and it take some time and patience to develop its taste. If you want to reduce its bitterness, you can reduce the quantity of Methi flour and can add wheat flour more. 

Instant energy ladoo or bar 

I know, above two recipes are lengthy and you need a proper time and patience to make them with perfection. As a busy mom, it is sometime daunting, so here I am sharing an easy and instant winter Pak recipe. This recipe is so simple and can get ready in 10 minutes. Despite being instant, it is healthy and perfect for the winter season. 

Ingredients 

  • Mixed dry fruits of your choice (cashew, almonds, walnut, pistachios, raisins)- 1 bowl 
  • Ghee (as per requirement) 
  • Dates (preferably seedless)- 1 bowl 
  • Grated coconut (optional) 

Method 

  • Take some ghee in a deep pan and fry the dry fruits one by one (you can use deep fry or stir fry method for this step). If you want deep fry nuts, take more ghee. This step usually takes few minutes. When dry fruits change their texture to crunchy and a nice aroma comes after frying, indicates that they are done. 
  • Now, put dates in above ghee mixture and roast this for few minutes. 
  • As next step, allow these for getting cool for few minutes. 
  • Now, grind these things (dry fruits and dates) as a coarse powder in grinder. Make sure not to grind as a fine powder, otherwise ladoo will lose its crunchy texture. As another method, you can put dry fruits in a Ziplock bag and can crush lightly with the help of rolling pin. With this method, mixture will maintain its crunchy consistency well. 
  • Dates will take 2-3 times of grinding. Grinder for 1 minute and check it, repeat the process until you get desired consistency. 
  • Now, mixed both things (dates and dry fruit mixture) properly in a large bowl. 
  • At this stage, you can mix roasted and grated coconut too, in this mixture. 
  • Then, grease your hand with ghee and make small ladoo with this mixture. 
  • As an alternative, you can put this mixture in a plate (grease the plate with ghee, before putting this mixture) and refrigerate this mixture for 1-2 hours. After take, take out the plate and cut the small bars from this mixture. 

This recipe is filled with many nutritious elements and easy to make. And provide you instant energy during busy winter days. 

So, this is all for now. 

Hope you have liked these recipes. Which one is your favorite? Please share in the comment box. 

Read previous post of this series here 

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