Til Gul Granola is our granola inspired by the flavor combination of sesame and jaggery which is featured in many forms in India around the month of January.
With Til Gul Granola we try to capture similar flavors by using sesame seeds both black and white and using jaggery for the sweetness. Til (sesame) and gul (jaggery) are combined many times with peanuts and coconut to create a sweet treat handed out among friends and family around sankranti.
We use peanut oil in a small quantity to impart flavor but it is optional and can be substituted for olive or a flavor neutral oil.
Recipe is quite simple and we learned it from the Eleven Madison Park cookbook. At the end of the meal at Eleven Madison Park you get to take home a bottle of granola. The recipe is a keeper and we make a batch of this once a month. We adapt that recipe many times to create granola with different flavors for different pairings.
In India granola is slowly gaining popularity. Its delicious but many times it is positioned as health food. But it is not that prevalent. We gave away a batch on our last visit to many of our friends but most of them looked at it with suspicion or rather with question of how to consume it. It is definitely nutritious and many times made from rolled oats. Difference between muesli and granola being that rolled oats or grains are not baked in muesli. We eat it sometimes just like that. Else we top it on our smoothie bowls or yogurts or even add it to a bowl of cereal. To me it adds a crunchy textural dimension.
We start out by assembling the dry mix of ingredients. Try to source the beast possible quality of these.
We first warm the oils on medium heat and then add the maple syrup and jaggery and whisk off the heat to gently melt and soften the jaggery. Then we mix this with the dry ingredients and bake. Thats all you need to do for a batch of Til Gul Granola. It is quite simple to produce with some planning or with ingredients on hand. We use a silpat mat on our baking tray but a baking paper can also be used.
As mentioned there are different ways to use it. Til Gul Granola, because of the crunch can also pair well with ice creams. Here we use it with a really good vanilla ice cream which is low on sweetness and focussed more on the vanilla. This is important because the granola is sweet too. We spread some peanut butter and top it with til gul granola and vanilla ice cream.
Til Gul Granola
- Total Time: 50 mins
- Yield: 1 cup 1x
Description
We use the combination of sesame and jaggery with rolled oats to create til gul granola
Ingredients
- 1 cup rolled oats
- 2 Tbsp white sesame seeds
- 2 Tbsp black sesame seeds
- 2 Tbsp dried unsweetened coconut chips2 Tbsp Jaggery powdered or grated
- 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
- 1 Tbsp Peanut Oil
- 1 Tbsp Maple Syrup
- 0.25 tsp salt
Instructions
- Mix oats, sesame seeds and coconut chips in a mixing bowl
- Preheat oven to 300 F
- Warm oilive oil, peanut oil and maple syrup in a pan
- Mix in jaggery and whisk to dissolve it off the heat, but if required keep it on very low heat every now and then whisking continuously. It does not melt completely but it does soften, be careful not to burn it
- Pour this mixture on top of ingredients in the bowl and add a small pinch of salt
- Mix thoroughly and spread on a baking sheet lined with silpat or baking paper
- Bake until dry and oats turn golden in color. This takes 30 to 40 minutes. Stir the granola after every 10 minutes. The granola does not appear crunchy when hot off the oven but it gets crispier as it cools
- Cool and store in airtight container. Serve on its own as a snack or as topping for yogurt, cereal or on ice cream treats
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 40 mins
- Category: snack
- Cuisine: health food, indian
Very nice effort to combine rich indian heritage with contemporary health food. Best wishes!
Dear Ajit, thanks for your kind words and encouragement 🙂