Mohanthal is a traditional Indian sweet, particularly popular in the state of Gujarat. It is a dense and fudgy dessert made primarily from gram flour (besan), ghee (clarified butter), and sugar. Mohanthal has a rich, nutty flavor and is often garnished with chopped nuts like almonds or pistachios. Here’s a simple recipe to make Mohanthal at home:
Mohanthal is a traditional Gujarati mithai with a rich flavor and melt-in-the-mouth texture of ghee-roasted besan and sugar.
Rose water and spices like cardamom and saffron give the sweet an enticing flavor and captivating aroma to mohanthal, while an assortment of slivered nuts makes the sweet richer.
Popular in Rajasthan and Gujarat, this Mohan thal sweet is a part and parcel of the festive season. We have used regular besan for this traditional Gujarati mohanthal recipe, which is easy to procure.
During my visit to Gujarat, I saw mohanthal available in all sweet shops.
Mohanthal mithai texture should be rough and hence we use a sieve with big holes for the besan mixture.
While cooking the besan mixture make sure the flame is low to medium which would prevent the besan from giving a raw taste. It’s worth the effort as the result is a perfect traditional Gujarati mohanthal.
The sugar syrup consistency of Gujarati mohanthal is a crucial step and should be cooked to 1.5 thread consistency.
rajasthani mohanthal can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for around 10 days!
Aside from traditional Gujarati Mohanthal, check our collection of traditional Indian mithai recipes from coconut rava ladoo to makhne ki kheer.
Enjoy mohanthal with step by step below.
What is Mohanthal?
Mohanthal is a fudge made with besan, ghee, and sugar. It’s often flavored with cardamom, saffron, mace and garnished with nuts. It has a grainy texture. Sometimes, mawa/khoya is also added to it. The sweet is popular in the states of Gujarat and Rajasthan in India.
It’s made in different ways in these 2 states (the cooking technique is different). The sweet is named after Lord Krishna (“mohan” is another name for Lord Krishna) and if often made during the festive season.
Ingredients :
Coarse besan: for that grainy texture, I like using coarse/ladu besan to make mohanthal. You can find it at Indian grocery stores. Regular besan would also do but coarse gives it a better texture.
Ghee: I like using ghee to make mohanthal but you may also use butter. Use unsalted butter in that case.
Sugar: granulated white sugar is what is used to make the sugar sryup for this sweet.
Flavorings: The most common flavorings include cardamom, saffron, and mace.
Step by Step Instructions
1- In a large bowl, take besan (coarse variety). Then add 1.5 tablespoons melted ghee and 1.5 tablespoons milk to it.
2- Mix with your hands and then rub the mixture between your palms for 2 minutes. This is to ensure that all ghee and milk are incorporated with the besan. This method ensures the grainy texture of the besan which we need for mohanthal.
3- Then take a sifter and sift the mixture. If there’s any leftover that you are unable to sieve, pulse it in your spice grinder until you have a smooth powder and transfer it to the same bowl.
4- Once your mixture is all sifted and smooth, cover it with a plate and let it sit for 20 minutes.
5- After 20 minutes, add melted ghee to a pan on medium heat. Then add the besan to it.
6- Mix using a spatula and start roasting it. Stir continuously and keep roasting on medium heat. After roasting for around 6 to 7 minutes, the besan will become loose and light, like it’s filled with air.
7- Keep roasting until it turns light brown/caramel in color. After 10 minutes, besan is roasted and caramel in color. At no point stop stirring.
8- Now reduce heat to low, add 1/4 cup milk to the besan, and stir continuously until the milk is absorbed. The texture and color of the besan change immediately when you add the milk.
9- Add remaining 1/4 cup milk and again stir until it’s absorbed. At this point, I had roasted the besan in total for 13 minutes on medium heat. Time may differ depending on the thickness of the pan and the intensity of heat.
10- Turn off heat but continue to stir the besan continuously. As the stove is still hot, you continue to stir and cook for 5 more minutes. So I cooked the besan for a total of 17 minutes on medium heat. Now, remove the pan from the stove set this aside, and let it cool down. Besan needs to cool before adding the sugar syrup.
11- Take a pan, add 3/4 cup water and then add 1 cup sugar to it. Once it starts boiling, add 2 tablespoons saffron water (2 tablespoons warm water mixed with generous pinch of saffron strands- let it sit for few minutes until it gets beautiful orange color and then use) and 1 teaspoon cardamom powder. You can also add a pinch of orange food color if you like at this point, I did not add any.
12- After the sugar melts, simmer on low heat for 5 to 6 minutes for the sugar syrup to reach a 1 string consistency (time varies depending on intensity of heat, type of pan etc.). If you place a drop of sugar syrup between your thumb and index finger and pull your fingers apart, it should form a single thread. To get more consistent results, invest in a kitchen thermometer- it should measure 112 C (234 F).
13- Add the sugar syrup to cooled besan (besan should not be hot, it should be at room temperature) and turn heat to low-medium.
14- Mix thoroughly on low-medium heat. Stir for 1 to 2 minutes only until the mixture becomes little thick and also non-sticky. Don’t overcook at this stage else Mohanthal will he hard.
15- Transfer to a pan (I used a square 8 x 8 inch pan lined with parchment paper), press with a spatula, garnish with nuts and decorate with edible gold leaves if desired.
16- Let it set for 4 to 5 hours or in the fridge overnight. Once set, cut it into 16 pieces and enjoy!
