Sesame, also known as til in Hindi, is a superfood you can effortlessly add to your everyday diet.
Make a dip from it or use it generously for garnishing. Health factor aside, they taste great. They lend nuttiness, sweetness and crunch to the dishes. Here are three recipes to make with sesame.
Sesame Brittle
Ingredients
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup honey
Pinch of salt
1/4 teaspoon of ground nutmeg
1 tbsp water
1 cup raw sesame seeds
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
2 teaspoons butter
1/4 teaspoon of baking soda
Method
Put the sugar, honey, salt, nutmeg, and water into a small, thick-bottomed saucepan. Heat on medium heat and stir until a smooth slurry is formed.
Stir in the raw sesame seeds.
Cook the sesame mixture, stirring often, until the mixture turns an amber caramel colour, for about five to 10 minutes.
If you have a candy thermometer, the temp should be 300°F. At this point, remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the vanilla extract and the butter.
Once the butter has completely melted into the mixture, stir in the baking soda. The mixture will foam up a bit as the baking soda reacts with the acid from the caramelisation of the sugar.
Pour the mixture onto a Silpat-lined baking sheet.
If you don’t have a Silpat, no worries. Pour directly onto a buttered metal baking sheet and use a metal spatula to separate brittle from the pan once cooled.
Once completely cooled and hardened (about 15-20 minutes), break into pieces.
Recipe credit: www.simplyrecipes.com
Til Ladoo
Ingredients
½ cup black sesame seeds
½ cup white sesame seeds
1 cup jaggery, roughly chopped
Method
Put a pan on medium flame and let it heat. After that, add the sesame seeds and roast it for four to five minutes. Stir continuously to avoid it from burning.
After it is done, immediately transfer it to a plate.
Now on the same pan put the roughly chopped jaggery and a few tablespoons of water so that it does not burn and melts properly. Bring it to a boil. Take the pan off the heat.
Now quickly transfer the sesame seeds to it and stir and mix it properly. Do it quickly so that it does not cool down.
Wet your hands and take little portions of the mix and make it into ladoo. Repeat the same step for each ladoo till the mix is over.
Store the ladoos inside an airtight container.
Til Chutney
Til can be included in making chutney.
Ingredients
1 cup black sesame seeds
2-3 green chillies and 2-3 dried chillies
4-5 garlic gloves
1 tbsp mustard oil
Salt, as per taste
Method
On medium flame, roast the dried chillies.
Now put the sesame seeds, roasted dry chillies, green chillies, garlic cloves and salt in a grinder. Add a few tablespoons of water to it and grind it to a fine paste. Next, transfer it to a bowl and add the mustard oil to it. Mix properly. It’s ready to serve.
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