RecipesGoyaSeptember 13, 2018kheer, gavhle

Make this Maharashtrian Specialty for Ganesh Chaturthi

RecipesGoyaSeptember 13, 2018kheer, gavhle

A sweet offering to usher in the festivities of Ganesh Chaturthi.

Trupti Abhyankar shares her family’s recipe for kheer made from gavhle — tiny, grain-shaped pieces of dough made from semolina and milk, that are dried and turned into creamy kheer as an offering to the deity for Ganesh Chaturthi.

Read more about Trupti’s fascination with India’s old and diverse tradition of pasta.

Recipe for Gavhle Kheer
1⁄2 cup of dried gavhle (recipe below)
1 teaspoon ghee
 1 1⁄2 cup of milk
 1⁄4 cup hot water
1⁄2 cup sugar (or more, depending on preference)
1/2 tsp Cardamom powder
A few strands of saffron

Method
In a pan, heat the ghee. Add the gavhle and toast gently till a nutty aroma is released.  
Add the hot water, and simmer till the gavhle is cooked through (but not cooked to a mush).
Add the milk, sugar, cardamom, saffron, and simmer till slightly thick.
 Serve warm or chilled, with an optional garnish of sliced almonds. 

Note: Stir the kheer very gently, as it may cause the gavhle to break.

To Make Gavhle
(Makes 1 cup)

Ingredients
1⁄2 cup fine semolina (rava)
1⁄4 cup milk

Method
Add just enough milk to soak the semolina. Let the mixture soak for 7-8 hours, until the semolina dissolves into a paste.
Knead into a soft, smooth dough, and cover with a moist cloth if using later.
To roll the dough, pinch off a tiny piece and roll between the tips of your thumb and index finger, adding a little pressure to create pointy ends. It should look like long-grain rice.
Spread these out on a plate and allow them to dry in the shade for two days.

Gavhle can be made in several different shapes, and its name changes according to shape. Here are a few other common variations:

Botwe: Roll the dough between the tips of your index finger and thumb until it resembles a grain of fat rice.
Fenolya: Take a pinch-sized ball of dough and run it along the back of a clean, fine comb. Nakhulya: Roll the pinch-sized ball of dough between your thumb and index finger, and flatten it.

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