Healthy after Dinner Sweet for Winter Weather & perfect for New Moms

By looking at the picture some of you must have guessed it, for those who are still thinking what it is, so let me tell you, it's called "Badam(almonds) wala Gur(jaggery)" in simple words. As it has jaggery & almonds as main ingredients. Though you can use any other nuts but I mainly use almonds & walnuts, but today I didn't had any walnuts on hand so result is "Badam wala Gur" or in English I think I would simply call it "Sweet & Spicy Nuts", oh, yes......it does have some spices also in it. This is my Mom's recipe I make it every winter, it's perfect for that little bite of sweet we crave after dinner. One of the fellow blogger was looking for recipe with jaggery for post partum diet, so I thought of putting this on my blog. As for the benefits of this sweet, let me write a little bit about it's ingredient :

1) Gur(jaggery) : also known as medicinal sugar, it's unrefined wholesome sugar full of minerals & vitamins. It's a good source of magnesium, potassium, iron, selenium & also contains moderate amount of calcium, phosphorus & zinc, it also helps in the purification of blood. As per Ayurvedic diet it helps in throat & lung infections. Because of it's health benefits in India it's very common to use lots of gur in post partum diet, it's healthy & helps clean the body from inside after delivery. Also when babies start on solid foods it's good to use gur in baby food instead of using refined sugars.

2) Almonds & Walnuts : Now a days every where one can see the emphasis on heart healthy nuts : almonds & walnuts, so I'm not writing a lot about that. But I would only like to say that new moms need them much more than anybody else, as it will increase DHA & RHA in the breast milk which is very important for babies brain.

3) Ajwain( carom seeds) : It's an excellent cure for indigestion & low-appetite. Very beneficial in cases of cough,cold & asthma. Again new moms are suggested to eat 1-2 spoons full of ajwain during the period they are nursing, not only helps mom but also helps little babies from having gas pains & indigestion. For more home remedies using ajwain for little babies & kids click here.

4) Sund(dry ginger powder) : it's used in Ayurveda from centuries. It's used to treat indigestion, stomachaches, nausea, joint & muscle pains, loss of appetite, cough, colds & flu to name few.

5) Ghee(clarified butter) : it's obtained by gently heating the butter to the point where all the water evaporates & all the milk solids get separated. It's lactose free & also free of hydrogenated oils so good for health-conscious ones. Ghee is not only versatile cooking medium(has very high burning point), but as per Ayurveda it helps balance excess stomach acids and helps maintain & repair the mucus lining of the stomach. Helps lubricate the connective tissues & promote flexibility, used to promote memory. To me it's right kind of fat specially for babies & toddlers & also for new moms.

Now here's the recipe :

Ingredients :

• 1 Tblsp. of ghee(U can use up to 2 Tblsp. or totally replace it with evoo)
• 3/4 cup chopped gur(indian jaggery)
• 1 cup chopped mixed nuts(walnuts+almonds)
• 1 Tblsp. of ajwain(carom seeds) (use more or less as per your taste)
• 1 tsp. sund(dry ginger powder)

Note : this time I used pan roasted almonds & I love the taste better than plain ones. Also if preparing for post-partum diet you can double the quantity of ajwain & sund.

Method :

1. Heat ghee in a heavy bottom pan on med. gas for few seconds then add gur to it & mix it.
2. Once the gur is all melted add rest of the ingredients,stir it together. Turn off the heat & be careful it's gonna be really HOT don't try to taste it, it's gonna be tempting but control yourself.
3. Take a baking tray or thali grease it with ghee & pour the mixture onto it & using backside of spoon spread it as evenly as u can. Once all set & cold to touch cut it into pieces. Let it cool completely before taking them out. Store it in air-tight container. No need to refrigerate it doesn't spoil use dry hands only.

Note : It's very good for new-moms, I use to snack on these after having my second one. But any one can enjoy these they not only taste good but healthy too, only problem with these goodies is to stop eating them.......they are that tasty.