Shakkarpare without sugar for Diabetic people

Sugarfree Shakkarpare / Shakkarpare for diabetic people

 It was during 2021 January 14th on Makar Sankranti day I realized that I have to make shakkarpare and Til Laddu as an offering to God, but due to being diabetic person neither myself nor my husband would be able to eat it. Both the children and their family are in Mumbai and USA, delima what to do, to make or not.  

I thought so many other people like me (With diabeties) may be facing the same problem. I thought over it and came up with the idea of combining the two(Laddu and shakkarpare) and make something which diabetic people can enjoy. 

Hoping this post will prove useful to not only diabetic people but also for those who want healthier version of shakkarpare. 

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Cooking Time: 30 minutes 

Ingredients Required: My  meseauring  cup is of 200cc volume cup

• 1 Cup Whole wheat flour (atta) 
• 3/4 Cup Semolina (suji) 
• 1/2 Cup Refine flour (maida) 
• 2Tablespoon Black Til seeds
• 2 Tablespoons Black sesame seeds coarsely ground 
• 1 Teaspoon Green Cardamom Powder
• 1/4 Teaspoon of Stevia powder / one pill of  sugarlite / any brand of sugar free pills (I used one pill in one batch and for another stevia powder. I prefered stevia powder for the ease of using it.) 

1. 2 Tablespoons Ghee (melted) for making dough

• 50 - 60ml. Milk for making dough
• Ghee for frying

Directions for making Sugar free Shakkarpare :

• If using sugar free pill then with the help of motar-pestle crush sugar free pill to powder.
• In a big plate or pan take :
• Whole wheat flour (atta) 
• Refined flour (maida) 
• Semolina (suji) 
• Sugar free pill powder/sugarlite/stevia powder
• 2 Tablespoon melted ghee
• Pinch of salt
• Sesame seeds
• Green cardamom powder
• Sesame seeds powder 
• Mix nicely till all ingredients are distributed evenly. 
• Sprinkle 10 ml. milk and knead. 
• Keep adding milk in little amount and kneeding till a pliable dough like pastry dough (with less ghee /oil) is obtained. 
• The amount of milk required will vary a little with the grains of suji used. I required roughly 60 ml. mlik. 
• Knead the dough nicely for 3 to 4 minutes. 
• Cover and let it rest for 15 minutes. 
• Suji will soak moisture and the dough will harden a bit. Do not worry. 
• Knead the dough again for 2 to 3 minutes. 
• Divide thw dough to 4 portions. Make them to nice ball by rolling between your palms. 
• Make different shapes with three balls. (Ghughuti)
• Roll the fourth ball to 2cm thick flat round with the help of rolling pin. Cut required size rectangles from it.  Shakkarpare and ghughuti are ready to fry. 

Sugarfree Ghughuti/Shakkarpare brfore frying

• Heat ghee in a wok. Lower the heat and add some of the above in hot oil and fry on low /medium heat with turning them over constantly to ensure even heating. 
• Dry till golden brown. While ccoling the heat in the shakkarpare will keep cooking it. So donot over fry them.
• Ghughuti / shakkarpare without sugar are ready. 

Sugar free Shakkarpare/Ghughuti for diabetic people

Enjoy with out feeling guilty or hesitant. 

Tips:

• While frying ghee should be hot but not smoking hot. Else ghughuti /shakkarpare will become brown from outside but will remain uncooked from inside. 
• Always use melted ghee while making dough this ensure even mixing of ghee. Also the amount of ghee required will be less. 
• Chill the milk bwfoe adding to make dough this will ensure ghughuti /shakkarpare to become more crisp.ok 

Suggested Variations:

• Sugar free can be replace by 2 teaspoon of sugar powder / organic jaggery. Little indulgence will not harm. Make sure notore than 2 teaspoons. 
• Those who are allergic to dairy product ghee can be replaced with any cooking oil except mustard oil and milk with water. 

Shakkarpare/Ghughuti /शक्करपारे/घुघुती (Wheat Flour Cryspies)

Ghughut /Shakkarpare 

Shakkarpare are made in Uttarakhand for Sankranti, in the month of January along withTil ke laddu.Shakkarpare are known as khajure or ghugute in Kumaon Uttarakhand India. In Maharashtra they are called Shankarpadi. In Kumaon, for small children mothers make varied shapes from the dough along with the regular rectangular shape and fry them, and then they are threaded along with Til laddu and seasonal fruits to make a garland. In the morning of Sankranti children, after taking bath put that garland around their neck and offer Khajure to crow singing "Kale kavva kale ghughutiki mala khale" . After offering to crow they merrily eat them as and when it pleases them. Shakkarpare make very tasty and filling eats along with tea. Since they are made of whole wheat flour and jaggery so are very nutritious also.

Preparation Time: 20 min.

Cooking Time: 30min.

Servings: 10 large servings

IngredientsRequired For Shakkarpare/Khajure

• 250 gm. Wheat flour
• 25 gm. semolina (suji)

• 75 gm. Jaggery

• 1TeaspoonSesame seeds(Til)(black/white any) 

• 1/4 Teaspoon Cardamom Powder

• 50 gm. Clarified butter (Ghee)

• Water for making the dough

• Oil for frying

 Direction for Making Shakkarpare/Khajure

• Take 20 – 30 ml water in a thick bottom pan and heat it.

• Break the jaggery into small pieces and add it to hot water.

• Heat the mixture on low flame with continuous stirring till all jaggery dissolves.

• Remove the pan from gas and allow the mixture to cool.

• Take wheat flour, semolina in a bowl and add sesame seeds, cardamom powder and mix nicely.

• Add ghee in little amounts and mix with fingers thoroughly.

• The mixture should look like bread crumbs.

• Add jaggery syrup in little amounts and knead.

• Add little water in required amount to make the dough.

• The dough should be very firm.

Dough for shakkarpare

• Cover and keep aside for 5- 10 min.

• Heat the oil in a wok on high flame.

• While oil is heating make divide the dough into four equal parts.

• Make a ball out one portion.

Ball of dough for rolling

• Roll the dough to 1-2mm. thick round shape.

Rolled ball of dough ready for cutting

•   Take a knife and cut rectangular/diamond shape pieces from it of the size you want.

Diamond shape shakkarpare cut from rolled ball of dough

• When the oil is smoking hot reduce the flame and put the rectangular dough pieces in it for frying.

Shakkapare being fried

• Fry on low flame with gentle stirring till they are golden brown.
• Take them out on a paper to cool so that excess of oil gets soaked in paper

Shakkarpare Being Cooled on Paper to Soak Excess oil

• Repeat the same with rest of the dough portion.

• Lo! and behold shakkarpare are ready. So why wait, enjoy eating them with family and friends.

Ghughut (Shakkarpare)

Tips:

• Do not keep on boiling the water once the jaggery is dissolved completely.

• Do not fry the shakkarpare to dark color as they have hot oil in them and once taken out will always turn a shade darker.

• Make sure the dough is pliable but firm if it will not be firm shakkarpare will not be crisp and if the dough is not pliable then rolling will not be possible.
• To make Mala (garland) for children shakkarpare should be fried less crisp or hole should be make before frying so that needle with thread can go easily.

Suggested Variations:  

• Instead of whole wheat flour refined flour can be taken .
• You can also try half refined flour and half whole wheat flour for making the dough along with suji.,

• Instead of jaggery sugar can be taken.

• For frying instead of oil ghee (clarified butter) can be taken.

• Poppy seeds can be added to the flour instead of sesame seeds.
  Happy Sankranti and Kale-Kawwa :)