Panchmewa Paag

Grease a large baking tray or thali with a little ghee and set aside.

Heat 1 tbsp ghee in a heavy pan over low-medium heat, add 100 g fox nuts, and roast while stirring continuously until light and completely crisp, 4–5 minutes.

Test a fox nut by pressing it between your fingers — it should crush easily into pieces.

Remove the roasted fox nuts from the pan onto a plate and allow to cool.

In the same pan, heat 1 tsp ghee, add 50–60 g grated coconut, 20–25 g almonds, and 20–25 g cashews, and sauté over low heat until fragrant, 2–3 minutes.

Remove the mixture to a plate and allow to cool.

In the same pan, heat 1 tsp ghee, add 20–25 g melon seeds, and roast until they begin to pop, about 1 minute.

Add 15 g poppy seeds, 15 g raisins, and 20 g finely chopped pistachios to the pan, and sauté together over low heat, 1–2 minutes.

Remove this seed and dried fruit mixture to a plate.

Once cooled, pulse the roasted fox nuts in a mixer or food processor to a coarse powder.

Pulse in short bursts so it stays coarse rather than turning into a fine powder.

Separately, pulse the roasted coconut, almonds, and cashews into a coarse powder.

Combine the coarsely ground fox nuts, coarsely ground nuts and coconut, and the whole roasted seed-raisin-pistachio mixture in a large bowl or thali.

Add 1 tsp cardamom powder and a grate of fresh nutmeg to the dry mixture and mix well.

In a separate wide pan, combine 400 g sugar and 100–120 ml water over medium-high heat.

Cook the sugar syrup, stirring, until the sugar completely dissolves and reaches a single-string consistency, 4–5 minutes.

Test the syrup between two fingers — it should feel sticky like honey and form a short thread that snaps easily.

Add a few strands of saffron to the syrup and stir well.

Reduce heat to low, add the dry nut and seed mixture to the syrup a little at a time, and stir continuously until evenly combined.

Cook over low heat, stirring continuously, until the mixture thickens and begins to pull away from the sides of the pan, 2–3 minutes.

If the mixture looks dry, add 1 tsp of ghee to give it a glossy shine.

Turn off the heat and quickly transfer the mixture onto the greased tray or thali.

Press and smooth the top evenly using a spatula or the flat bottom of a greased bowl.

While still warm, score the paag into square or diamond pieces using a sharp knife.

Allow the paag to cool completely and set at room temperature, about 30 minutes.

Then 30 min of waiting

Separate the pieces along the scored lines and store in an airtight container.