Handesh on plate

Handesh

Name: Handesh
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 1 h
Total time: 1 h 15 min
Yield: Makes 30-35
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: 320g rice flour; 145g plain flour; 320g date molasses (morsa gur); 50g white granulated sugar; vegetable oil for frying

Afia Begom - Afelia's Kitchen

Save recipe

Makes 30-35

Easy

Prep: 15 mins

Cook: 1 hr

plus resting

A star rating of 5 out of 5.3 ratingsRate

loading...

Make a batch of sweet, golden-brown handesh, a Bengali deep-fried snack made from flour and date molasses. Delicious with a cup of tea or eaten with warm milk like cereal

Dairy-free

Egg-free

Vegan

Vegetarian

Skip to ingredients

Alternatives

Complete the dish

Showing items 1 to 3 of 3

Halwa

A star rating of 4.5 out of 5.2 ratings

Akhni fulab (lamb pilau)

A star rating of 4.2 out of 5.5 ratings

Chicken pakoras

A star rating of 5 out of 5.6 ratings

Ingredients

Nutrition

Units:

MetricUS

320g rice flour
145g plain flour
320g date molasses (morsa gur)
50g white granulated sugar
vegetable oil

for frying

Keep the screen awake with cook mode on the Good Food app.

Nutrition: Per serving (35)

kcal103
fat3g
saturates0.7g
carbs18g
sugars8g
fibre0.4g
protein1g
salt0.01g

Method

step 1

Mix together both the flours, the molasses and sugar in a large mixing bowl until well combined.
step 2

Gradually add up to 150ml tepid water to make a very thick batter, mixing in with clean hands. Crumble up any large bits of flour, molasses or sugar with your fingers. Add up to another 250ml water, a little at a time, until you have a batter that pours in a constant stream without breaking – the amount of water will vary depending on the consistency of the molasses. If the batter still seems too thick, add a little more water until you get the right consistency. If you add too much water, add more flour until you have the right consistency. Cover the bowl and leave to rest at room temperature for 4-5 hrs or overnight.
step 3

Heat a generous amount of oil in a large wok over a high heat (around 200C if using a thermometer). When it's very hot, reduce the heat to medium – this will ensure the oil is hot enough for the handesh to puff up immediately without burning. Pour a little of the batter directly into the centre of the wok with a jug or ladle and wait a few seconds for it to puff up slowly and rise to the surface of the oil. Move it away from the centre of the pan with a spoon and cook for 25-30 seconds on each side until brown all over and cooked inside – you can tear one open to check that it's cooked through. Remove from the wok using a slotted spoon and place on a plate lined with kitchen paper. Repeat with the remaining batter. Enjoy hot with a cup of tea or tear into small pieces and cover in warm milk to eat like cereal.

Comments, questions and tips

Rate this recipe

What is your star rating out of 5?1 star out of 52 stars out of 53 stars out of 54 stars out of 55 stars out of 5

Choose the type of message you'd like to post

CommentQuestionTip

Overall rating

A star rating of 5 out of 5.3 ratings

Get 3 months of Good Food All Access

Get 3 months of Good Food All Access for just £6. Find triple-tested recipes that take the stress out of deciding what to cook, spend less time planning, and more time enjoying the season.

Subscribe now