Bardhaman mihidana
AI-drafted · awaiting admin review
Tiny golden pearls of fried rice-and-gram-flour batter soaked in sugar syrup, a GI-tagged sweet of Bardhaman.
Region: West Bengal (Bardhaman)Occasion: Festivals, weddings and giftsTime: 1 hourServes: 6Vegetarian
Ingredients
- ½ cup besan (gram flour)
- 2 tbsp fine rice flour (traditionally from Gobindobhog or Kamini rice)
- A pinch of saffron or a little yellow colour
- About ½ cup water
- 1 cup sugar and ½ cup water for syrup
- Ghee or oil for frying
- 2 crushed cardamoms
Method
- Make a one-thread sugar syrup with the sugar, water and cardamom, and keep it warm.
- Whisk the besan, rice flour, saffron and water into a smooth, pourable batter.
- Heat ghee in a wide pan. Hold a fine-holed perforated ladle (jhanjhri) above it and tap the batter through so it falls as very small drops.
- Fry for under a minute without letting the drops brown, then lift them out.
- Drop the fried pearls straight into the warm syrup and leave for 10 minutes. Drain off extra syrup and serve.
History
Mihidana (‘fine grains’) and its sister sweet sitabhog are associated with the town of Bardhaman. Local tradition links them to the time of the Maharajas of Bardhaman. Both received GI tags in 2017.
Significance
Bardhaman mihidana is carried home as a gift by visitors and is made by the town’s sweet makers for weddings and festivals.