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Panjeeri — the Punjabi winter treat

Panjeeri — the Punjabi winter treat

This halwa concoction is quite popular in the garrison city
Updated 14 Dec, 2015

RAWALPINDI: The chilly winter weather is an excuse to indulge one’s sweet tooth, and in the garrison city there is hardly a better sweet option than traditional Panjeeri.

In Punjab, Panjeeri is usually given to new mothers as it is said to be highly nutritious and aids in fortifying breast milk. Sweet shops in Pindi prepare this dish – with some alterations – for all and sundry and it has been a popular delicacy among people from all walks of life.

Made of semolina, sugar, almonds, walnuts, desi ghee and others herbs; this dry and crunchy sweet treat is quite similar to sooji ka halwa, which is available at nearly all sweet shops from Murree Road to Saddar and Raja Bazaar.


This halwa concoction is quite popular in the garrison city


“We make two types of the Panjeeri; one exclusively for nursing mothers, which contains herbs such as Phul Makhanay and Kamar Kas, which is nutritious and beneficial for nursing mothers. We make simple Panjeeri for everyone else,” says Mohammad Khalid, the owner of a sweet shop on Murree Road, near Telli Mohallah.

He said that Panjeeri was a nutritious dish that could keep people warm in the winters as it contains almonds, desi ghee, nuts and semolina.

He said the dish was prepared along traditional recipes for hundreds of years and has been considered a nutritious breakfast or evening tea item.

Saeed Ahmad, who owns a sweet shop in Saddar, said that Panjeeri was made only in the winter, but some people also wanted to have it in summer for breakfast.

Since it was heavily laced with nuts, there was a misperception that it could only be consumed in the winter. “We use pure clarified butter instead of vegetable oil in the halwa. We use small quantities of clarified butter just to add to the taste and fry all the nuts and semolina in it,” he said.

“I always want to eat this dry halwa, but in my house, there is a perception that it was meant for women only. But since this crunchy and mouth-watering dish was introduced by sweet shops, I’ve been quite happy,” said Mohammad Shahnawaz, a customer at a sweet shop in Saddar.

Another resident, Raja Irfan, said that in the winter, there were many options for the people to taste something sweet and Panjeeri was good for children who had a sweet tooth. It is a good traditional alternate for chocolate and candies, he said.

Published in Dawn, December 14th, 2015

Comments

AW Dec 14, 2015 10:17am
YUM, looks delicious. Got to go out and get some for the evening.
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Kailash Batra Dec 14, 2015 10:19am
Your comment Its very nutritious and liked by all specially Punjabis all over during Winters
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charu Dec 14, 2015 11:28am
My mom makes it using gaund instead of sooji...it is must have post delivery. ..but makes for a healthy snack even otherwise.
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Alishba Dec 14, 2015 11:50am
my mom made it yesterday and yes it is delicious :)
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Vijay B. Dec 14, 2015 12:37pm
With the pretty pictureup front, I was hoping to see a recipe. Alas! no such luck
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Manish Dec 14, 2015 12:52pm
Mouth Watering , Guys Send me Some .
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Madhusudan Dec 14, 2015 01:12pm
Carrot halwa, moong dal halwa , dry fruit halwa, til laddu, gajjak too are likable winter delicacies in sub contibent.
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Arisha G Dec 14, 2015 09:18pm
Our ancestry is from Deccan. They make it too there. Didn't realise it was restricted to Punjab only. Same reasons for its consultion too. Food is the one uniting factor I guess around all regions.
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Parveen Sadiq Dec 14, 2015 11:05pm
Panjeeri is also served in Sindh for centuries .When my mother had babies the dry fruit dish we used to look forward was panjeeri which was a special preparation for new mother during the first ten days of delivery.We were not supposed to touch it,due to strict instruction from my grandmother,whom we used to call Mithi Aman.My mother used to give some to us,that taste i still remember.Your article brought the memories back.Thanks.
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