Praghree

Happy Diwali to you and your family! Very Happy to share my 100th post on this special occasion with a traditional Sindhi sweet "Praghree". Thank you all for your support throughout!

Praghree is a deliciously rich and irresistible sweet with its crispy and flaky layering like puffs. This delicacy is stuffed with sweetened Khoya /Mawa and glazed with aromatic and flavorful sugar syrup. The 1st time I tried this Praghree was 15 years back when my maternal aunt prepared and shared the recipe with us. Although I vaguely remember the minute details, with my Mom's tips, it turned out to be successful. Thanks to my mother-in-law for a big helping hand in preparing. 

I tried different methods in making the layers and actually prefer skipping a step to keep the process easy in making the layers without compromising the texture or the flakiness. A great tip to retain the crispness for a few more days is to fry the Praghrees in ghee. Yes, you heard me right, and I agree it's high in calories, but it's such a luxury treat to feel heavenly. Believe me, you do not want to miss relishing this dainty. Ready to get started?

PREP TIME

 40mins

COOK TIME

30 mins

TOTAL TIME

1 hr 10 mins

Category: Sweet

Cuisine: Indian, Sindhi
Level: Medium

Yields: 8

Nutrition Facts
Servings 8.0
Amount Per Serving
calories 379
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 18 g	28 %
Saturated Fat 10g	52 %
Monounsaturated Fat 1g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0 g
Trans Fat 0 g
Cholesterol 18mg	6 %
Sodium 6 mg	0 %
Potassium 7 mg	0 %
Total Carbohydrate 51g	17 %
Dietary Fiber 1 g	4 %
Sugars 27 g
Protein 4 g	8 %
Vitamin A	14 %
Vitamin C	0 %
Calcium	0 %
Iron	1 %
* The Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet, so your values may change depending on your calorie needs. The values here may not be 100% accurate because the recipes have not been professionally evaluated nor have they been evaluated by the U.S. FDA.

INGREDIENTS

For Crust:

1. All-purpose flour/ maida - 2 cups 

2. Ghee/ melted butter - 2 tablespoons

3. Water as required to knead

For Roux:

1. Ghee - 3 tablespoons

2. All-purpose flour- 1.3 tablespoons

For Sugar Syrup:

1. Sugar (unbleached cane sugar)- 1¼ cup

2. Water- ¾ cup

3. Saffron - a few strands

4. Rose essence - a few drops

5. Kewra essence - a few drops

6. Cardamom powder - 1 pinch

Other Ingredients:

1. Mawa/ Khoya - 200 gms (sweetened)

2. Ghee - for frying

3. Dried rose petals - a few to garnish (optional)

4. Almonds slivered or Pistachios (unsalted) - a few to garnish (optional)

DIRECTIONS

For Sugar syrup:

1. In a saucepan, add the sugar and water and bring them to a boil on medium heat.  Keep stirring occasionally for the sugar to dissolve completely.  

2. Once dissolved, let boil for another 2-3 mins and add the saffron strands, rose essence, kewra essence, cardamom powder, and a few dried rose petals, and turn off the heat. Keep the syrup closed for the aroma to be trapped. Make sure your syrup is thin.*

For Roux:

1. Mix in the flour and ghee well without lumps; it should look like butter. Keep aside until required.

For Crust:

1. In a mixing bowl, mix in the all-purpose flour/ maida and ghee and knead to a stiff dough using water as required. Let rest for 10 minutes approximately.

2. Now is the time to knead the dough again to roll it long and to cut it into 8 equal portions. Sprinkle dried flour as required to prep the surface to avoid the dough from sticking. 

3. Method 1 (traditional step) :

Divide each portion into 4 equal portions to roll using a rolling pin into 4 very thin sheets like you would flatten for rumali roti. 

Smear each sheet with the uncooked roux generously all over and layer them on top of each sheet. Cut them into strips and then into squares, and layer them all in 1 stack. 

Do the same with all 8 portions, and you should have 8 stacks of squared sheets like the picture below.

Method 2 (skipping 1 step):

Roll each of the 8 portions separately into large thin sheets, smear them all generously with the uncooked roux all over. 

Cut each sheet separately into strips and then into squares, and stack them. Repeat with the rest of the 7 portions as well. 

4. Now flatten each stacked square and roll using a rolling pin into a circle shape to a thin roti (slightly thicker than the previously mentioned very thin sheets).

5. Take a good tablespoon (heaped) of crumbled or grated sweetened Koya/Mawa and place it in the center. Wet your finger with water and moisten the area around the stuffing, not at the edge. This is where the Praghree is going to be sealed.

6. Lift one half of the sheet and align it with the other to form a semicircle shape. Press gently the moistened area, leaving the edges to open up slightly during frying.

7. In a pan, add ghee on medium heat to fry the Praghrees. 

8. Deep fry one by one. As soon as you drop the praghree in the oil, use your skimmer to nudge the edges to help separate the layers. This can be done only on one side. After flipping, don't nudge as it tends to break the flaky tips. 

9. Remove and drain once both sides are golden brown to set aside on a plate/ tray to cool off completely*.

10. Heat the sugar syrup if it's not warm enough. Dip the cooled praghrees into the syrup for 20 seconds on each side. Remove and garnish with dried rose petals, saffron strands, and/or with your desired nuts.  Store in a dry container for a few days.

NOTES AND TIPS

1. You may use oil partially instead, but I highly recommend only ghee to retain the crispness and flavor for more days, else they tend to get a little soggy.

2. Kewra essence is a must for the unique aroma. You may substitute rose essence with a drop of rose syrup that you might have handy for rosemilk. 

3. Fry at medium heat only to maintain the golden color. 

4. You may knead the dough and prepare the sugar syrup while the dough rests, like I did, to save some time.

5. The sugar syrup must be thin; a thick syrup will make the praghrees soggy. If they tend to thicken, just add 3-4 tablespoons of water and boil them again.

6. Cooling the Praghrees before dipping it in the sugar syrup is very important for the sweet to stay crispy and flaky.