Guru Nanak Jayanti falls on 24 November this year. In gurdwaras, karah prasad is prepared with prayer and served to everyone who comes, without exception. Many families also make it at home for the day, which is what this recipe is for. It is one of the simplest sweets there is: three ingredients in equal measure. It is also one of the easiest to get slightly wrong, so a few notes first.

The whole dish depends on roasting the atta properly in ghee. Under-roasted, it tastes floury and sets into a paste. Roasted slowly to a deep golden brown, it turns nutty, glossy and soft. There is no shortcut, and turning up the flame only burns the outside of the flour while the inside stays raw.

Ingredients

Some families use 4 cups of water for a softer prasad. Start with 3; you can add a splash more at the end.

Method

  1. Warm the water and sugar together in a pan just until the sugar dissolves. Keep it hot on a very low flame. You are not making a syrup with a "string", only sweet hot water.
  2. In a heavy kadhai, melt the ghee on low heat and add the atta. Stir it steadily so it does not catch at the bottom.
  3. Keep roasting for 15 to 20 minutes on low heat. The mixture will go from pale and pasty to loose and bubbly, then turn golden, then a deeper brown with a nutty smell. That smell is your signal.
  4. Take the kadhai off the heat for a moment, then pour in the hot sugar water slowly, standing back. It will hiss and steam fiercely.
  5. Return to low heat and stir continuously. The atta absorbs the water quickly and thickens within a few minutes.
  6. Cook until it gathers into a soft mass, leaves the sides of the kadhai and the ghee starts to shine on the surface. Serve warm.

What goes wrong, and why

Lumps: the water went into atta that was too hot, or all at once. Stir hard; most lumps break down as it cooks.

Pale and sticky: the atta was not roasted long enough. Next time give it another five minutes before the water goes in.

Greasy: it is meant to be rich, but if ghee is pooling, cook it a few minutes more. It absorbs as it thickens.

Too sweet or not sweet enough: the equal-parts ratio is traditional for a reason, so leave the sugar alone the first time.

A note on the ghee

Because ghee is a full third of the dish, you taste it in every spoonful. A ghee with a good, nutty aroma makes a real difference here. We use our A2 Gir Cow Ghee for this, and the Desi Cow A2 Ghee works just as well.

If you are cooking for more people, the ratio holds. Just use a wider kadhai so the atta roasts evenly, and expect the roasting to take a little longer. For other ways ghee shows up on festival days, see our piece on regional ghee traditions.