A Tasty Treat: Badam Pak

Getting tired of the standard nastho of nankhati and thepla with your chai? Join Shabnam Jessa and her mother, Yasmin Gaidhar, as they lead a Gujarati/English cooking class, and show us how to make a delicious treat: badam pak. Put on your aprons, and get your mixing bowls ready!

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Amateur chef, Yasmin Gaidhar, holds deep African and Indian roots in her cooking style and choice of ingredients. She recalls her first biryani and churma na ladoo, cooked for a small Jamat in Ndola. The ingredients were locally sourced, and sold by local retail merchants. It was then that she developed her fondness and creativity for East African and East Indian cuisine. She enjoys cooking for seniors and her grandkids. Badam pak is one of her specialties!

Shabnam Jessa is a self-taught cook, who learned to cook out of necessity after she got married. She decided to take on baking and cake decorating, and has completed her Wilton levels 1, 2, and 3 in cake decorating. During the Covid shutdown, Shab started a quarantine cooking show on social media which led to the creation of a successful group on Facebook that encourages individuals to share their recipes and foster a micro community; she has enlisted the help of several volunteers to assist in running the recipe group. Shabnam likes to focus on making gluten free meals with healthy ingredients for her family. 

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Badam Pak

Ingredients:

• 1 lb Almonds
• 1 lb Sooji
• 1 lb Unsalted butter
• 8 oz Milk powder
• 8 oz Desiccated coconut
• 4 oz Gund
• 1 1/2 tsp Cardamom powder
• 1/2 tsp Nutmeg
• 2 cans Condensed milk (300 ml each)
• A handful of Khaskhas
• Chopped Almonds and Pistachios (to taste)

You will also need a food processor (optional), a pot, a baking sheet, and parchment paper.

Method:

• Put almonds in food processor and grind them until they are coarse. Set aside. (If you don't have food processor, you can coarsely chop the almonds.)
• Open the cans of condensed milk. If they are cold, put the cans in hot water so that it will be easier to pour. Set aside.
• Prepare a tray for putting the Badam Pak on once it is cooked. Set aside.

Tip: Do the above before making the pak.

• Sauté sooji in butter for about 20 minutes on medium heat, add gund whilst sautéing the sooji, and listen for the gund to pop.
• When the sooji is golden brown, add elaichi (cardamom powder) and nutmeg. Mix well.
• Add milk powder and keep stirring for about 10 minutes constantly; don't let it burn.
• Add chopped almonds. Stir for another 5 minutes. Turn the heat down to low.
• Add condensed milk. Keep stirring for another 5 minutes or until it is mixed thoroughly.
• Turn it over into your prepared tray. Sprinkle the khaskhas and add the chopped badam and pistachios for decoration.
• Press it down with parchment paper. Make desired cuts and let it set.