Panjeeri / Panjiri, nourishing and healing

Panjeeri is a traditional South Asian sweet dish that has its roots in the Indian subcontinent. It is particularly popular in the northern regions of India and Pakistan. The dish is known for its nutritional value and is often associated with providing energy and strength, especially during winters and post-pregnancy.

I therefore try to make this dish every winter for the family and I give it out to extended family and friends. It is definitely is the best gift you could give someone in winter. I always feel stronger and healthier for eating it.

History of Pakistani Panjeeri Recipe

The word “Panjiri” is derived from the Punjabi language, where “panj” means five. The panj represents the five main ingredients used in its preparation. These ingredients normally include whole wheat flour, clarified butter (ghee), sugar, nuts, and dried fruits.

This Pakistani Panjeeri recipe is considered a highly nutritious food, and it is often prepared for new mothers. This is because it is believed to help in postnatal recovery and boost energy levels. I had lots of this nutritious postpartum snack made for me when I had my children! It’s the biggest food hug you can give someone. It is also made when some one is ill, for example if they have had an operation. This really is the best traditional healing superfood to eat.

This dish is often prepared during the winter months, again it is believed to provide warmth and strength to see you through the cold weather and flu bugs. It is a dish that you tend to make in bulk, firstly to last the winter season, but also to share with friends and family. The last time I made it, I gave some to my uncle who had just come out of hospital. I actually think he was shocked that I knew how to make it, but he was very much appreciative!

When I discovered this Pakistani Panjeeri Recipe

My first interaction with Panjeeri was seeing my mum make this for my aunty after the birth of her second daughter. I remember this being a big job and my mum was in the kitchen for the whole day. She was surrounded by trays and trays of this crumbly mixture, which she had left to set. Once the mixture had set, she then started to cut it up into blocks; to represent a breakfast cereal bar shape. My recipe is not so time consuming and labour intensive as my mum’s. Like most things, I like to find shortcuts without compromising on taste.

I also was given this nutritious postpartum snack to eat on the birth of my children, my mother in law and mum both kindly brought some for me. Their panjiri styles were very different, my mum’s version had more nuts and she made it with edible glue to form the cereal bar shape. My mother in laws version was sweeter and had more coarsely ground semolina, it felt more on the dessert spectrum.

My panjiri is somewhere between the two versions, I don’t use the edible glue to make bars like my mum, as it’s too much extra effort for me! I use more nuts than my mother in law, and I don’t make it quite as sweet as her version. Ultimately, you can play around with recipe and make it to your taste. Add more or less nuts, increase or decrease the semolina and sugar quantities. My version is what I like, taking into account time and nutritional value.

Conclusion

This traditional healing superfood really is a labour of love, it will take you a good couple of hours to make, but it really is worth it when you think that you will be able to eat this for the whole of winter. You will have to go to a decent South Asian grocery shop to be able to get all the ingredients, char goond and char magaz usually takes a bit of hunting down. But it’s well worth the effort, and I would not miss out these ingredients.

You will want to enjoy your bowl of panjeeri with doodh patti, the utlimate combination to indulge in.

See my video on Instagram or TikTok to see how to make this dish!

Ingredients for Panjeeri / Panjiri

Feeds 12 plus

Time 45minutes

• 500 grams almonds- roughly grounded (you can use a food processor for speed)
• 500 grams pistachio nuts roughly grounded (you can use a food processor for speed)
• NB ( you can vary the nut combination and add walnuts and cashew nuts, just keep the overall quantity of nuts to 1kg)
• 1kg unsalted butter
• 940 grams (approximately) Chapati flour (I use Elephant Chakki Gold Chapatti Flour, 100% stone ground whole wheat atta)
• 150 grams Char magaz (melon seeds)
• 150 grams poppy seeds
• 250 grams sugar (to taste) caster sugar or golden caster sugar works well
• 1 mug (200 grams approximately) of coarsely ground semolina
• 25 grams of fennel seeds (or fennel powder)
• 50 grams ginger powder
• 100 grams char goond (edible gum)
• 150 grams of golden sultanas
• 75 grams cardamom powder (to taste, start with less if you do not want a strong cardamom flavour)
• 150 grams desiccated coconut

Method for Panjeeri / Panjiri

1. Firstly, grind the fennel seeds and char goond into powder, you can use a food processor for this.
2. Next, wash the poppy seeds in a sieve and then dry them.
3. Put the roughly grounded nuts in a bowl, and in a second bowl put in the chapati flour to the same level as the nuts in the first bowl. This really is something that is done by sight rather than by weighing the ingredients, weight will vary depending on what chapatti flour you use. So both bowls should look like they have equal amounts, or equal mounds of nuts and chapati flour in their respective bowls.
4. Next, melt the butter in a large sauce pan and add the chapati flour and semolina and stir through. Cook on low heat for 20-30 minutes. You will need to continuously stir through the mixture, otherwise it can become lumpy. When it starts to make a crackling noise, turn the heat off. It should look like a golden sandy mixture at this point.
5. Add the ground goond and stir through, then add the poppy seeds and stir, add the char magaz and stir, then add the desiccated coconut and sugar and stir through thoroughly.
6. Next take the pan off the heat and add in the fennel, nuts, ginger powder, sultanas and cardamon powder. Again stir through the ingredients thoroughly. Taste at this point, if you want the panjiri to be sweeter, you can in some more sugar at this point.
7. Finally, spread the mixture out on trays to cool and then it is ready to eat and enjoy.