Oats and Dates SUKHADI

The Oats and Dates Sukhdi is my take on the humble and revered Sukhdi.

SUKHDI also know as GOLPAPDI (Gol means jaggery and papdi means a thin layer) is an iconic sweet of Gujarat. Even today, it is a frequently made delicacy in Gujarati households. Recently I read an article by Dr Manu Japi, where he rightfully honours this humble sweet by saying ‘Sukhi karti Sukhdi‘ (Sukhdi makes us happy).

Since the bygone days, Sukhdi enjoys the role of an energy bar and holds a prominent place in our state’s food-scape. It’s an ‘all in one’ meal, often food that compensates the need to Dal-Roti-Subzi!! A small slice of Sukhdi is enough to keep the hunger pangs at bay for a couple of hours. These square or diamond-shaped ‘pick me up’ bars are also regular in school lunch boxes. Sukhdi has been part of our school picnics and trips when mothers would pack food for those ‘just in case’ moments. The extremely high nutritional value of these bars have brought it on the menu of two very important government-run nutritional programs, the Integrated Child Development Scheme -ICDS designed for the pregnant and lactating women and children up to the age of 5 and the Mid-Day-Meal program in the government-run primary schools. It was and continues to be a perfect travel accompaniment for the ever travelling Gujaratis. I would not deter from calling it a folk-sweet for its universal appeal across Gujarat. 

The Oats and Dates Sukhdi shared here  has the basic Sukhdi recipe made with inclusion of oats, almonds  and dates, sesame seeds, flavoured with nutmeg, sooth/dried ginger powder, cardamom and fennel/variyali. If you are the one who likes some crunch and texture in sweets this recipe is perfect for you.

Give it a try. Enjoy…

Oats and Dates Sukhdi

Ingredients

• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 cup oatmeal
• 3/4 cup ghee
• 1/2 to 3/4 cup chopped jaggery
• 3/4 cups chopped dates/khajoor
• 1/2 cup chopped or slivered almonds
• 1/2 tablespoon variyali/fennel seeds
• 1/2 tablespoon of sesame seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon cardamon powder
• a generous pinch of nutmeg
• a generous pinch of sooth/dried ginger powder
• a couple of tablespoons of milk (optional)

Method

1. Grease a large thali or baking tin with ghee.
2. Place a medium sized pan on medium heat.
3. In a pan dry roast the oats and remove from pan once they release some aroma.
4. In the same pan add ghee. Once warm add the whole wheat flour.
5. Fry the flour in ghee, stirring continuously for about 10-12 minutes
6. Once the flour starts releasing a pleasant aroma and becomes pinkish in colour add the oats and fennel and sesame seeds.
7. Mix them well, continue stirring and add the Dates. Give it a good mix.
8. Add the almonds.
9. Remove from fire.
10. While the mixture is still hot add the jaggery and the aromatics i.e the nutmeg powder, cardamon powder and dried ginger powder.
11. Mix well, allow the jaggery to melt and become a homogenous mixture. (for a gooey texture, you may add the milk at this stage)
12. Pour the mixture into the prepared greased  thali or a  baking tin. Spread evenly with the help of a flat spatula or back of a katori.
13. Once it cools a bit cut in the desired shapes squares of diamonds.
14. Remove when cooled completely or else they might break.
15. Store in an airtight container for a week to ten days.

Note-

• The colour of the Sukhdi will depend on the type of jaggery used. Since I use organic jaggery the Sukhdi here is darker in colour.
• You may add a couple of tablespoon of milk at the end for a bit gooey texture.