Groundnut Chikki / Peanut Chikki (made with yellow jaggery cubes)

Groundnut Chikki (made with yellow jaggery cubes)

A delicious chikkis, made of groundnut, melted and sieved jaggery, 1 teaspoon ghee and cardamom powder.

How to prepare melted and sieved jaggery?

Jaggery is one of the main ingredients in Indian cuisine. We can make a variety of sweet dishes with jaggery. Most popular dishes are Paayasam (kheer), Modak, Laddu, Peanut Chikkis … Jaggery is rich in iron too !!

Yellow jaggery cubes available @ Nilgiris, Chennai and other leading supermarkets.

The jaggery which is available in shops contains lots of impurities and sand. Featured here is how to make melted and sieved jaggery. I’m not very sure about Organic Jaggery (or please try this method also with organic jaggery).

Ingredients

500 g yellow jaggery cubes or normal jaggery (yellow, brown or dark brown)

¼ cup water (50 ml or 3 – 4 tablespoon)

A wide non stick pan

A big bowl

A strong iron sieve

A steel storage box / a good quality plastic container to keep jaggery in refrigerator for later use

Method

Heat a wide non stick pan on medium heat. Add jaggery balls / cubes and ¼ cup water. Stir it gently with a thick spatula. After 15 – 18 minutes jaggery melts / fully dissolves / without any jaggery lumps and become a smooth solution / impurities will appear on the top of the jaggery solution.

One can observe lots of bubbles appearing on top of the jaggery. Maintain medium to low heat and stir it slowly and carefully.

Place the iron sieve over a big bowl and keep it ready near your workplace / kitchen platform. The Big bowl should hold the iron sieve easily and bottom of the iron sieve should not touch the base of the steel bowl. Please see the photo above..

Pour the hot melted jaggery carefully into the iron sieve. After 5 – 7 minutes we can see impurities on the iron sieve and clear jaggery in big bowl.

Remove the iron sieve and pour the melted and sieved jaggery into a steel box when it is at medium heat ( If you are using a plastic storage box, please wait until room temperature and later store in refrigerator). Keep it aside until normal temperature and later store it in a refrigerator. Now it's very easy to prepare sweet dishes like paayasam, modak, ...

Makes: 9 – 10 groundnut chikkis

Ingredients

Please use same measuring cup to measure peanut and jaggery.

1/2 cup peanuts (Indian standard measuring cup of 100 ml / 4 oz capacity)

2 teaspoon ghee

1/2 cup melted and sieved jaggery (100 ml / 4 oz or 75 ml – 100 ml)

¼ teaspoon cardamom powder or dried ginger powder (chukka podi)

1 teaspoon oil / ghee (to grease steel thali / plate /square baking dish)

Method

For groundnuts:

Heat an iron kadai or pan. Reduce heat to medium and dry roast (without oil) peanuts on a medium to low heat until crisp (approximate dry roasting time 15 – 18 minutes). Keep aside to cool for 20 minutes and gently remove the skin of the peanuts and make a rough powder in a small mixer bowl (groundnut) for 25 seconds.

Microwave method –Arrange peanuts in a microwave safe flat dish and microwave high (750W) for 2 minute 30 seconds (maximum 3 minutes  or until crisp not dark brown). Keep aside to cool for 20 minutes and gently remove the skin of the peanuts and make a rough powder in a small mixer bowl (groundnut).

Grease a steel thali or plate with 1 teaspoon oil / ghee and keep it ready.

In a non stick pan, heat 2 teaspoon ghee on a medium heat. Add melted and sieved thick jaggery . Boil on a low heat for 10 – 12 minutes (stir continuously) until thickens / lot of bubbles will appear on the top of the jaggery mixture.

To test the syrup is ready, drop a teaspoon of hot jaggery syrup in cold water. If it form a jaggery ball / doesn't melt, then the syrup is ready ( If the syrup is not ready, it won’t form a ball and jaggery dilute in water and cold water become yellow / light brown color.

At this stage, add cardamom powder or dried ginger powder and groundnut and gently stir well for 4 – 5 minutes on low heat until thickens and leaves from the sides of the pan (Do not heat it for more than 5 – 7 minutes. If it's a hard mixture, then it’ll be very difficult to make chikkis / it won’t spread properly). Switch off the heat.

Spread this peanuts – jaggery mixture into the greased steel thali and spread it evenly with the base of a flat spatula.

Cut into desired shape and size when it is very hot (do not remove peanuts pieces / chikkis from the thali when it is very hot). Keep aside to cool for 20 minutes and remove carefully. Store in an airtight container and also it's an ideal homemade gift to your friends and relatives.