Mysore Pakಮೈಸೂರ್ ಪಾಕ್
⏱ Prep 10m🍳 Cook 25m🍽 Serves 16🌿 Vegetarian
Video: Hebbars Kitchen (YouTube)
Mysore Pak was born in the royal kitchens of Mysore and has since become Karnataka's most celebrated sweet. The halwai version achieves a porous, crumbly bite — the result of adding hot ghee slowly into a sugar-besan syrup — distinct from the softer home version. Made with three core ingredients, its craft lies entirely in timing and temperature: a few seconds too long on the fire turns it from fudge to toffee.
📍 Make it in Plano
This recipe is the same everywhere — but where you buy the ingredients and eat the dish is local to you.
Finding Desi spots near Plano…
Ingredients
- ▪Besan (chickpea flour / gram flour), fine-ground1 cup (100g), sifted
- ▪Granulated sugar1.5 cups (300g)
- ▪Ghee (clarified butter), kept warm and liquid1 cup (225g), divided
- ▪Water0.5 cup
- ▪Green cardamom powder0.25 tsp
- ▪Baking soda1 tiny pinch (optional, for porous texture)
🌍 Cooking abroad? Substitutions
- Besan quality matters: Swad or Laxmi brand (South Asian grocery stores) gives the finest texture. Bob's Red Mill chickpea flour works well; all-purpose flour is not a substitute.
- Ghee is essential — the porous texture comes from ghee's water-free fat. Clarified butter made at home (simmer unsalted butter until milk solids settle, then strain) is a direct substitute. Vegetable oil changes the flavour entirely.
- One-thread syrup is the trickiest step: if a candy thermometer is unavailable, watch for the first sign of the syrup thickening and test frequently from that point — it progresses quickly.
Method
- 1Grease a flat tray or baking dish (8x4 inch or similar) with a teaspoon of ghee; set aside near the stove.
- 2Combine sugar and water in a wide heavy-bottomed pan. Heat on medium, stirring until sugar dissolves, then boil without stirring until it reaches one-thread consistency (a drop pinched between thumb and forefinger forms a single thread — or 110°C / 230°F on a thermometer).
- 3Reduce heat to low. Add sifted besan in a thin, steady stream, stirring constantly with the other hand to prevent lumps. Immediately pour in 3 tbsp of warm ghee and stir to combine.
- 4Continue cooking on low-medium heat, stirring without pause. Add the remaining warm ghee in 4-5 stages, a few tablespoons at a time, waiting for each addition to be absorbed and the mixture to puff slightly before adding the next.
- 5Cook until the mixture starts to pull away from the sides of the pan, the surface shows tiny aerated holes, and the colour deepens to golden honey-brown, about 10-15 minutes total after the besan went in.
- 6Add cardamom powder and the pinch of baking soda (if using); stir briskly for 15 seconds.
- 7Pour immediately into the greased tray — do not press down, the mixture sets with its own weight. Allow to cool for 5-7 minutes.
- 8Score into squares while still warm; break apart cleanly once fully cooled and firm.
A Desi.Net original recipe · part of our Indian Cuisine library. Confirm details and adjust to taste.