Gur Makhana(Spiced Jaggery Puffed Lotus Seeds)

Gur Makhana/Spiced Jaggery Puffed Lotus Seeds recipe | How to make Makhana especially for winters with spices like dry ginger powder and sesame seeds

About the recipe

Gur Makhana recipe with makhana sweetened with jaggery or gur, a crunchy, nutritious snack for kids and grown ups. It is gluten-free and can be made vegan friendly.

Here I present you Gur Makhana recipe especially for winters, where I have spiced these sweetened seeds with spices like fennel seeds, dried ginger and black pepper powder and added sesame seeds. These nutritious spiced and sweetened seeds are suitable for consumption for kids and adults alike. It's just like caramel popcorn spiced with ginger powder!!

What is Makhana

Many of you must be familiar with Makhana. For those who do not know Makhana, these are seeds from Lotus plant which is very commonly found in Asia. Recent studies have shown that these are one of the Super Food which have all the vital nutrients from all the essential food groups.

Puffed Lotus Seeds or Foxnuts are very popular since ancient times in Indian Cuisine. It is consumed as snack especially during fasting time as these are light on stomach, low in calories and as mentioned above have all the vital nutrients.

My kids love Makhana both as sweet and savory snack. For savory snacking I saute in butter with little salt. It tastes just like buttered popcorn.

To know more about the health benefits of Makhana and how it is used in Indian Cuisine check out my post.. Makhana-The Super Food.

Is Gur Makhana Healthy

Gur Makhana is a healthy snack and is good for sweet cravings.

Ingredients used in the recipe other than Makhana are also powder house of nutrients, aid in digestion and help to keep the body warm in harsh winters. Rich with antioxidants these help to build the body immunity to fight cold and cough related ailments.

Gur or Jaggery is one of the richest source of iron, activates digestive enzymes in body and aids in digestion. In India, during winters most people include it in their diet. Those having sugar related ailments substitute it tea. Gur Halwa is consumed in winters as it keeps up the body warm. Jaggery is also beneficial for adolescent girls and women as it's daily consumption in small amount can help in combating the PMS symptoms.

Consumption of Jaggery should be limited especially for those who have sugar related ailments or are trying to lose weight. As with it's numerous health benefits it has high calories and may fluctuate blood sugar levels.

Other winter special snacks that your can make.. Besan aur Badam Ke Ladoo, Wheat Ragi and Edible Gum Ladoos, Mixed Nut and Gur Chikki, Til and Khus Khus Chikki with Coconut Sugar.

Ingredients for Gur Makhana

You can make it with the ingredients of your choice. Usually only jaggery is used for making Gur Makhana. Many add coconut flakes and add cardamom for flavour. It is winter season now and with below zero temperatures, I added Dried Ginger Powder/ Snooth, Fennel seeds/Saunf, Crushed Black Pepper(Kali Mirch) and black salt which help to keep body warm and also help in digestion of food.

Desi Ghee is used usually to roast Makhana, but you can use any other oil like Olive oil, Coconut Oil for vegan friendly version.

If you plan to make these in summers then you can skip sesame seeds and ginger powder as these heat up body.

You can also add some nuts like roasted peanuts/almonds/melon or pumpkin seeds along with Makhana for a more nutritious crunch.

How to make Gur Makhana

First step is to roast Makhana till crisp. For that add ghee in a pan/kadhai, add makhana and roast on low flame. Check the doneness by crushing a seed between index finger and thumb. It should have a nice crunch and crush easily.

Once Makhana are done, transfer to a plate/dish.

In the same pan, add sesame seeds and fennel seeds and lightly roast the seeds till these give nutty aroma. Take out and keep aside.

Add water and jaggery powder in a pan and make syrup. If you are going to use the same pan, let it cool down a bit, as water may splutter out of pan is hot.

Cook syrup till one thread consistency.

For that dip a spoon lightly in syrup, drop it on a plate/dish. Take a drop of it and touch the syrup with clean index finger. Press between thumb, then pull apart. One thread should form without breaking. The syrup is ready to use.

Take off pan away from flame and add sesame seeds, fennel seeds mix and roasted makhana. Mix well coating all seeds nicely.

Transfer carefully to another completely dry dish/plate. Let it cool and store in an airtight container.

Enjoy the crunchy munchy snack whenever you have the hunger pangs or with your tea.

Recipe Card

Recipe

Other Tea time snack from the blog..Khasta Methi Mathri, Chana Murmura

Do try this nutritious snack. Ideal for kids to munch on while studying. Working professionals can pack it and carry a box of this light snack. Comes handy in between long meeting and travelling hours.

Please note.. If you have high sugar issues or any of the ingredients doesn't suit you, you consult any nutrition expert for the same. Also you can skip any of the ingredients here as per your convenience. Avoid this if your are allergic to Makhana/foxnuts.

The same recipe can be used for making Jaggery coated nuts like almonds, cashews and hazelnuts.

You can also serve these as snacks to your guests with Tea, pack in beautiful boxes, along with other homemade snacks like Masala Peanuts, Chiva, Cookies like Nan Khatai

Also, whenever you try the recipe, I will love to hear/share your feedback or any queries in the comment section below. I will try to answer your queries as soon as possible.

A small request, please rate the recipe as per your experience or feedback. Your feedback and ratings help my site in more google visibility and higher google ratings.

Say Hello!! and visit my social media accounts.. FB, Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter and You-Tube.

If you like my work, then add you mail id in the box below and HIT the SUBSCRIBE button to get notifications on new posts and share the blog with your loved ones.

Thanks for stopping by!! Keep coming back!!

Swati