Make Ahead
Brittle - three ways!
- Serves 8 to 10
Author Notes
Our moms would be so busy in the kitchen during the January month as the kite-flying festival comes closer.. There are few foods , specially made during kite-flying festival. Every household would have their own different styles or types of brittle. Especially, sesame brittle was considered auspicious because it is considered the kite flying festival brings in prosperity. Uttarayana is the day when the sun starts to travel towards north as a sign of coming summer. People fly kites from their rooftops in celebration of the festival. "Uttara" basically means "north" in Sanskrit and "ayana " -"moving towards".Gujarat state celebrated most of the festivals due to its diversity in population unlike many other states. The festival of Uttarayan is one of the grandest. In Gujarat, Uttarayan is a holiday when every family can be met outdoors. People of all ages fly kites from dawn to dusk. Crowded rooftops, fun-loving rivalry to outdo each other in kite flying skills and delicious traditional Gujarati feast are the hallmarks of the day. YOu will not see any rooftop empty or clear sky. It would be full of kites. Week of the Uttarayan , markets would be open for 24 hours. Brittle is one of the food snacks that is enjoyed during this festival with other variety of food.
We all love brittle due to its sweet , salty and crunchy texture and taste. The main brittle that we make during this festival is from peanuts and jaggery mixture or sesame seeds brittle. But, we do make some other varieties which I would like to share. Enjoy!
—Devangi Raval
Ingredients
-
2 cups
sugar
-
4 tablespoons
butter
-
1/3 cup
corn syrup
-
1/2 cup
water
-
1/2 teaspoon
Baking Soda
-
1 3/4 cups
Pistachios coarsely crushed
-
1 cup
Dried Rose petals
-
1 teaspoon
Salt
Directions
- Take water, sugar, butter and corn syrup in a heavy bottomed deep pan, cook it on medium high heat until the thermometer reads 300 F for about 20 minutes. Stir occasionally.
- As soon as the syrup hits 300 F , remove it from heat and add in baking soda and salt and mix it well. It might bubble up. So be careful , and immediately add the rose petals and pistachios. Mix well.
- Spread the mixture immediately onto a lined parchment paper on baking sheet.
- Let it cool for about 1 to 2 hours and then break them into little pieces. And store it at room temperature in an air-tight bottle.
- Variation 1- Instead of rose petals and pistachios, you can use the same method to make coconut brittle using dry coconut flakes or shredded dry coconut. Variation 2 - Use mixed nuts like cashews, almonds, pistachios, along with saffron strands.
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