Recipe- Soft And Utterly Urad Dal Ki Pinnie

Soft and utterly d-licious Urad Dal Ki Pinnie is a must-have winter delicacy. Made with a handful of simple ingredients, these decadent Punjabi sweets are the perfect little treats to serve for any occasion.

Pinnis are the healthiest and nutritious snack as they are packed with all the good stuff ( jaggery, ghee, nuts) that will warm you up from the inside out and give your immune system a boost to stay healthy during the winters.

Ingredients

1 cup Urad ki dhuli dal (White urad dal)
? cup Ghee (divided 1/3 cup + 1/3 cup)
2 tablespoons Sooji (Semolina)
1 tablespoon Wheat flour
¾ cup Mawa
1 cup Jaggery
1 teaspoon Cardamom Powder (to decorate)
2 tablespoons Slivered Almonds
4 tablespoons Milk (to grind the dal)
Slivered Almonds
Sunflower seeds

Method

* Clean and rinse Urad dal a couple of times until the water runs clear.

* Transfer the dal to a clean bowl and soak it for 3-4 hours in 2 cups of water. During this time (soak), Urad dal will swell and double in size.

* After the desired soak time has elapsed, drain the water and rinse again. Allow the dal to drain completely.

* Transfer the drained Urad dal to a blender. Add milk and blend the dal to a smooth paste.

* The dal should be very fine and smooth in texture. When rubbed in between fingers, the dal should feel like a paste.

* Combine jaggery and water in a pan. Boil it on low to medium heat until the jaggery syrup turns thick or forms a 1-string chashni.

* To check the consistency, dip a spoon in the jaggery syrup, and if it coats the back of the spoon, it’s done. Take it off the flame. Set aside.

* Heat ghee in a heavy-bottomed pan. Add the pureed Urad dal to the pan. Add semolina.

* Mix until all the ingredients are well combined. Soon the urad dal will soak up all the ghee and become a thick ball of dough. No worries, keep working on it.

* Keep stirring the dal consistently to prevent burning. Keep the heat setting to medium-low.

* Once the urad dal mixture becomes crumbly ( 15 minutes into the cooking), add mawa to the pan. Mix to combine.

* Do not leave the urad dal unattended at any time. Keep stirring consistently to prevent burning.

* 30-35 minutes into cooking, urad dal will start to change color and turn brown.

* Lower the flame to the lowest setting, and stir in cardamom powder. Add the jaggery syrup. The urad dal pinni mix will sizzle; therefore, add the syrup carefully.

* Mix to combine. Increase the flame to the medium setting and cook the urad dal mix until it becomes thick like a dough. Keep stirring the mixture to avoid lump formation.

* Once that stage is attained (it forms a dough), take the mix off the heat. Add slivered nuts and mix until combined. Allow the Urad dal pinni mix to cool slightly.

* The mixture will look like breadcrumbs as it cools. Now here is the trick to smooth pinnis – add a tablespoon of lukewarm milk to the pinni mix and knead it with your hand. As you knead, ghee will start to ooze out from the mixture, no worries.

* Incorporate everything in the urad dal mixture and knead.

* Shape the urad dal mix into pinnis. Get creative and form the pinnis into shapes you like.