Easy Adadiya Pak Recipe - Traditional Gujarati Winter Sweet with Jaggery

Adadiya Pak is a traditional Gujarati winter sweet dish. It is made with urad dal flour roasted in ghee, mixed with fried gond, dry fruits, jaggery, and some warming masalas. 

In Gujarati households, it is also known as Shiyalu Pak, which means "the sweet of the cold days."

Almost every Gujarati family has a memory of a big steel dabba on the kitchen shelf in winter and the fragrance of ghee and urad ka atta filling the entire home on the day it is made. 

Many families also buy this sweet from the halwai. But making this sweet is easier than it looks, and this recipe gives you a much softer, far less sweet dish.

The recipe below makes about 25-30 pieces and takes about an hour to make.

Why You Will Love This Adadiya Pak Recipe

• This recipe requires just a few simple ingredients: urad flour, ghee, jaggery, gond, and a few spices.

• This jaggery method replaces the sugar entirely, so there is no need for testing and no chance of an improper consistency.

• The warming masalas provide the real heat and give the classic winter taste.

• A small piece in the breakfast with warm milk keeps you full for hours. 

List of Ingredients for Adadiya Pak

This recipe makes 25-30 pieces.

For the flour mixture:

• 2 cups rough urad dal flour

• ½ cup besan

• 2 tbsp warm milk

• 2 tbsp ghee

For roasting:

• 1 cup ghee

• 3 tbsp gond

Spices and add-ins:

• 2 tbsp katlu powder

• 1 tbsp dry ginger powder 

• 1 tsp ganthoda powder 

• 1 tsp cardamom powder

• ¼ tsp nutmeg powder

• 3 tbsp dry grated coconut

• ½ cup chopped nuts (almonds, cashews, and pistachios)

For sweetening:

• 1.5 cups grated or chopped jaggery 

For garnishing:

• 2 tbsp sliced almonds and pistachios

• 2-3 strands of saffron

Step-by-Step Adadiya Pak Recipe

Step 1: Prepare the dhabo(flour mix) and let it rest 

Combine the urad flour and besan in a wide thali. Mix 2 tbsp ghee into slightly warm milk, and sprinkle this mixture over the combined flour.

Then rub this flour between your palms for 4-5 minutes in small portions. Rub it until the flour feels damp and it holds together lightly when you press. 

Strain the flour mixture once, then break up any lumps using your fingers.

Cover the mixture with a cloth or thali and let it rest for at least 30 minutes. This resting step is important because it makes the adadiya pak soft and grainy rather than dense.

Step 2: Fry the raw gond

Take 3 tbsp ghee in a wide, thick-bottomed kadhai and heat it over a low flame. Once heated properly, add the gond in two batches.

The raw gond puffs up and doubles in size in a few seconds. Strain it with a slotted spoon at once, then spread it on a plate. 

If you leave it a little longer, it will turn dark and taste bitter. Once it cools, crush it lightly using a rolling pin or the back of a steel bowl.

Step 3: Roast the flour mixture in ghee

In the same pan, add about 3/4 cup of ghee. Let it heat over a low to medium flame.

Add the flour mixture. Keep breaking the lumps up with your fingers while dropping it in. Then keep stirring the flour and ghee continuously. 

This is one of the longest steps of the recipe. It will take 15 to 20 minutes. The flour will look dry and pale at the beginning, then it will loosen slightly, turn a deep golden brown, and the ghee starts to separate from the edges. 

Your home will be filled with a strong, sweet, nutty fragrance. That smell is your signal, not the clock.

Step 4: Add the warming masalas, fried gond, and grated coconut

Set the flame to its lowest setting. Add the fried, crushed gond, dried grated coconut, katlu powder, dry ginger powder, ganthoda powder, cardamom, and nutmeg.

Then combine everything properly and cook it well for only 30-40 seconds. This is just enough to roast the coconut lightly and open up the spices. Then turn off the flame.

Step 5: Add the powdered or chopped jaggery

Let the roasted flour mixture cool for 2-3 minutes, so it is hot but not burning hot. After that, add the chopped or finely grated jaggery and mix quickly.

Never put the pan back on the gas. Some residual heat is enough to melt the jaggery within a minute. 

Lastly, add in the chopped dry fruit at this stage as well.

Step 6: Spread and set

Take some ghee and grease a thali with it. Once the dish is properly greased, add the mixture while it is still warm and spread it quickly with the back of a katori or spatula to about o.5 inch thick.

Sprinkle the sliced almonds, pistachios, cashews, and saffron on top and press them in gently.

Step 7: Cut into pieces and store

Let it rest for 10-15 minutes. Once the top is set but still warm, cut it into squares or diamonds with a knife. Always cut it after it is fully cold; cutting it while it’s still warm is the most common reason pieces break.

Let it cool completely, about an hour, then lift the pieces out and store them. If you cut it while it’s still warm, it will turn grainy and won't cut into the proper shape.

Adadiya Pak Recipe Variations

With sugar syrup (the sweet shop style)

If you want the authentic sugar variant, you can use a one-string sugar syrup with 1.5 cups of sugar and ¾ cup of water.

Let the roasted flours cool to warm, then add the sugar syrup. The adadiya pak will be a little harder and lighter in colour than the jaggery variant.

Adadiya Ladoo

Instead of spreading the mixture into a wide thali, let the adadiya mixture cool until it's easy to handle. Once it's warm, roll it into round ladoos. This shape is good for lunchboxes or tiffin and is easier to portion.

With khoya

You can grate 200g of khoya at the end of Step 3, then cook everything for 2-3 minutes before adding the masalas. This variant gives your pak a richer, softer texture, but you can only keep it for about a week, and it needs to be refrigerated.

Without fried gond

Gond is an authentic ingredient and is why many households give it to people with joint or back issues. If you don’t want to add it, the taste of this sweet stays the same. You can also add 2 extra tbsp of chopped dried fruit to keep the texture the same.

Expert Tips for Perfect Adadiya Pak

• Let the flour mixture rest. Let it rest for at least 30 minutes. This step separates a soft adadiya pak from a hard slab.

• Roast the flour on low heat. High heat browns the outer layer of the flour while the inner layer stays raw.

• Never add jaggery on the heat. Always turn the heat off before adding jaggery. 

• Don’t add too much ganthoda powder. Only add 1 tsp per 2 cups of flour. More than this amount gives you bitter and sharp pak.

• Always fry the gond in tiny batches. An overcrowded pan puffs the gond unevenly, and some gond will stay firm in the center.

How to Serve Adadiya Pak

This sweet tastes better eaten alone, but many households like to serve it as:

• A piece for breakfast with a glass of warm milk. This is one of the authentic ways to eat this adadiya pak in Gujarati families.

• With a cup of hot masala chai in the evening during cold winter months.

• Packed in a small container as a gift box during winter days, along with a few other seasonal sweets.

• Cut into small pieces and served after a heavy dinner as a light, rich, and sweet dessert.

Portion control is important here. This sweet dish contains a lot of ghee and dry fruits, so a single piece per day is enough for many people.

Storage and Shelf Life

• Room temperature: Transfer it to a clean, dry, airtight steel or glass container. You can consume it for 2-3 weeks on winter days.
• Refrigerator: This is only required if you grated khoya into it, or if the weather is humid. It will harden up in the fridge, so bring it to room temperature before eating.
• Always use dry hands. A little amount of moisture is enough to spoil the batch.
• If it turns too firm or dry: You can warm a few pieces for a few seconds on a tava or in the microwave until softened.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is adadiya pak and how is it made?

Adadiya Pak is an authentic Gujarati winter sweet dish made with urad dal flour roasted in ghee, along with fried gond, chopped dry fruits, jaggery or sugar, and a few warming masalas like dry ginger and ganthoda. 

What are the main ingredients this Adadiya Pak contains, and why is it eaten only in winter? 

The main ingredients are ghee, urad dal, gond, dry ginger, and ganthoda. All of these are widely used as warming spices in Gujarati and Ayurvedic cuisine. All these ingredients are heavy and rich, which suits cold weather better.

What is the difference between Adadiya Pak and Katlu Pak? 

Adadiya Pak is usually made with urad dal flour, and the entire family eats this sweet throughout the winter. Katlu Pak is generally made with wheat flour and a heavier dose of the katlu powder blend. It is mainly prepared for new mothers after delivery.

Can I use sugar instead of jaggery? 

Yes. You have to make a single-string sugar syrup with 1.5 cups of sugar and ¾ cup of water, then mix it into the lukewarm flour mixture. Jaggery is easier and better, as it doesn’t need a syrup texture and adds a deeper color and a slightly earthy flavor.

Why did my Adadiya Pak turn hard? 

Most of the time, it happens for these 3 usual reasons. The jaggery melted while the pan was still on the heat; the flour mixture is roasted with a very small amount of ghee or very quickly over a high flame. 

Can I make Adadiya Pak without adding fried gond? 

Yes. You can skip it and instead add a few more chopped almonds and cashews for the same texture. The taste will stay very close to the original. Gond is used mainly for its traditional strengthening properties.

What is ganthoda powder and can I skip it? 

Ganthoda is also called pipramul or piplamool. This is the dried root of the long pepper plant. Its warm, slightly pungent taste is a signature note in many Gujarati winter sweet dishes. You can skip it for a milder version, but your pak will taste simpler. 

How long does Adadiya Pak stay fresh? 

This adadiya pak stays fresh for 2-3 weeks at room temperature. Make sure to transfer it to an airtight steel or glass container during winter months. If you’re adding khoya to it, don’t forget to refrigerate it and consume it within a week.

Can kids eat this Adadiya Pak? 

Yes, you can give this adadiya pak to kids in small pieces. This is a common winter breakfast for school-going children across Gujarat. You can reduce the amount of ganthoda powder if you want to make a batch specially for children.

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