Farro Ghughri

I am from the colorful and vibrant state of Gujarat and a true Gujarati. We are affectionately (and stereotypically sometimes) called “Gujjus”. One of the key festivals from this land is Uttarayan / Makarsankranti aka kite-flying festival. Apart from the the obvious kite flying-ness, one ritual that my mom and folks around follow, is making ghughri.

Traditionally, ghughri is made with wheat berries, ghee, and jaggery on Uttarayan and fed to cows. Cows being a sacred animal amongst Hindus, this act is thought to bear us boon, good karma, and all. Of course, we (humans) can eat this too for it’s fiber-rich and wholesomeness. My mom and I absolutely love eating this. But now that I have moved to California, feeding a cow and all is not feasible.

I wanted to preserve this kind ritual and culture but with my own twist. So I made it with a wheat-like grain - farro and turned it into a nice wholesome dessert. Replacing wheat with farro, cuts down the cook time since there is no soaking unlike wheat. Farro also has much less gluten than wheat berries, for those looking to reduce gluten in their diet.

All I have to say is - try it and you will love it!

Farro Ghughri

Serves 2

YOU WILL NEED

• 1/2 cup farro

• 2 cups water

• 2 tbsp jaggery powder (or more per preference)

• 2 tsp ghee

• 1/8 tsp finely crushed cardamon seeds

GARNISH (optional)

• 1 tbsp slivered almonds

• few crushed dried rose petals

METHOD

• Cook the farro in boiling water for 10 -15 minutes or until tender.

• Drain the water from cooked farro using a colander and set aside.

• Heat a small pan or skillet over medium heat, add ghee and cardamon.

• Lower the heat and add the cooked farro and jaggery powder. Mix everything well and turn off heat.

• Serve hot with a garnish of slivered almonds and dried rose petals.

Oh, and don’t forget to share your creation by tagging me on instagram using #themediumspicy - I love seeing them! 😊😘