Ghas Mando / Sweetened Maida Roti (Diwali special – 3)

kINDLY CHECK FOR THE SAME RECIPE IN YOUT UBE IN MY CHANNEL

Ready to serve Ghas Mando

How long it takes: 2 hrs

Number of servings: Around 50 of the above size

Ghas Mando is a festive favorite in the G.S.B. community. It is usually served in small boxes along with other sweets like the boondi laddoo, mysore pak at our weddings in South Canara and during festivals in other parts of the country.  This recipe was long over due and mostly delayed as I could not find an easier explanatory substitute title. Finally, after so many Diwalis have gone since I started the blog, I gave up and gave in to uploading it with its traditional name. I have always prepared it on special occasions – as one of the Diwali sweets on my platter for years or when my kids come home or as part of my holiday food bonanza for the family and guests.

It is surprisingly easy to prepare, the only thing one should be careful about is to ensure rolling the puri thin and evenly spread. Calling it tasty is an understatement – it melts in the mouth,  the moment you let it touch your taste buds. Infact, ghas in Konkani refers to a gulp – fittingly ghas mando is meant to be enjoyed and relished in one gulp !

I wish all my readers and viewers of the blog a Happy Diwali / Deepawali. May the coming year bring you happiness and prosperity and may there be many occasions to prepare this delicious Konkani sweet at home. Here is the ghas mondo recipe :

What you need to have:

1. Maida – 1 Cup

2. Chiroti sujee / rawa (thin sujee) – 2 Teaspoons

3. Pure melted  ghee/sunflower oil – 1 Teaspoon

4. Water – Around 1/2 cup

5. Salt – To taste

Ingredients of Ghas Mando

What you do with what you have:

1. Sieve maida in atta sieve and transfer to a wide bowl. Add chiroti sujee, salt, and melted pure ghee and mix as shown in the image 7 below (of the dough and pinched out dough).

2. Add water slowly to make it a slightly tough yet pliable dough. Keep it aside covered for about a half hour so that sujee gets absorbed and the dough is set to roll.

Ingredients of filling:

1. Thin poha / beaten rice – 2-3 cups

2. Sugar –  1 cup

3. Cardamom – 8-10

Ingredients of filling

3. Place a skillet on medium flame and dry roast thin poha / beaten rice till it crimples and is crispy. Make sure you do not burn it and the colour does not change .

Poha / beaten rice being dry roasted

4. Dry roast sugar till it starts crystallizing and transfer it to another bowl adding peeled cardamom to it.  When cooled, powder roasted beaten rice, and sugar in the mixer to a medium coarse powder.

Sugar being crystallized

5. On cooling powder both of them together with peeled cardamom to a medium fine consistency.

Powdered mixture for the filling

6. Pinch out a small portion of the dough as shown in the image and dust a little in maida and roll it as thin as possible.Keep it aside in batches, so that only one can be fried at a time.  Keep the rolled roti covered.

The dough, pinched out ball and the rolled roti

7. Place a skillet with 2 cups of cooking oil in it on medium flame. When hot, just place the rolled roti in it and fry it on both sides.

Rolled roti being fried

8. Fold it in oil in a semi circular fashion.

Roti being folded while frying

9. Finally fold it into a triangle.

Roti triangle in the oil

10. Once fried, take the roti out of the oil, and while still holding it with a holder, fill it with the previous prepared sweet filling. Enjoy it  with tea or as a snack.  Yummmmmmmmmmmm!!!!!!!!

Filling being filled into the ghas mando

11. Store it in an air tight container – it will stay fresh for a few days if fresh oil was used for frying.

Ready to serve Ghas Mondo

How long it takes: 2 hrs

Number of servings: Around 50 of the above size

Good to remember:

1. The outer dough should be kneaded to a consistency that is slightly harder than the chapathi dough.  If the dough is very soft the fried roti will turn soft.

2. The roti should be rolled as thin as possible.

3. Beaten rice should be of thin variety. We roast the poha / beaten rice to get rid of the raw smell and get a pleasant aroma.