Swetha's Fusion

Sugar Coated Fennel Seeds | After meal Indian Mouth Freshener | Mukhwas

Wednesday, July 15, 2020

Sugar coated Fennel seeds - Mouth freshener and helps with digestion as well. Usually served after a meal. Especially after a heavy spicy meal and also offered to the guests. Most of the Indian restaurant will have a bowl at the door or served along with the bill in a bowl or small sachets.

These are also called Mukhwas. mukh meaning mouth and vas meaning smell. There are different variations of mukhwas - sweet, savory, with shredded Areca-nuts, with candied rose petals etc. In many Indian homes, one may find one more type of Mukhwas kept in beautiful container on or around dinning table.

I just like to have something sweet after every meal. I usually have some store brought colorful candied fennel seeds with regular fennel and cumin seeds. This is my first try in making sugar coated fennel seeds at home. Took about 10 to 15 minutes. Turned out pretty good. I am impressed. I guess I will not be opting for store brought mukhwas anymore. I will also try to make other versions of mukhwas, if they turn out good, I will definitely share it.

Ingredients:

1 cup - fennel seeds
1 cup - sugar
¼ cup - dry coconut powder
½ tsp - cardamom powder
½ tsp - rose water or few drops of rose essence (optional)

Method:

In a small pan or kadai, dry roast fennel seed on medium-low flame. Not too long, just for a minute or two. Transfer the seeds on a wide plate and spread for it to cool down.
Mix in coconut and cardamom powder to the warm fennel seeds.
Heat the same pan on medium flame, add sugar and about ½ cup of water.
Sugar will melt slowly bubbles will starts to form. Keep stirring.
As the sugar gets lots of bubbles, add the rose water (or essence) and mix.
The syrup should be bit sticky by now (no need to wait for one-thread consistency)
Reduce the flame to medium-low. Add the fennel-coconut powder mixture to the syrup.
Keep stirring the mixture. Once you notice the it crystallize and the fennel looks dry. Turn off the flame.
For convenience place the hot-pan on a kitchen towel and keep stirring bit more so that the seeds are coated well and separated, or else it will harden to candied chunks.
Transfer and spread the sugar coated fennel seeds back on to the wide plate to completely cool down for an hour or so.
May store in air-tight container for longer shelf-life. Pour a small amount to a serving bowl as and when needed.

Try this yourself, share with friends and family.

For making Sugar coated Fennel seeds, I refereed to these post FOOD52 and mind over munch. It was very helpful. Thanks for sharing.

Take Two: Added 1 tablespoon of grated dry coconut

Take Three: Soaked the fennel seeds in rose-water for about 10 minutes before roasting. The result was the seeds got a darker shade of color. Also I added red food color to the grated dry coconut before adding to the mixture. It tasted good.