Panjeeri | Postpartum Healing And Lactation Recipe (Indian)

Here is a Panjeeri (Panjiri) recipe for new mothers that are traditionally eaten after childbirth. This recipe is nutritious, and healing, and provides a host of essential vitamins and nutrients for postpartum mothers.

What is Panjeeri?

Panjeeri (or Panjiri) is a delicious Pakistani/Indian postpartum lactation and healing food that is perfect for providing new moms with nutrition and energy. Since panjeeri is considered a "hot" or comfort food, it is also eaten during the winter to replenish and strengthen the body.

Although panjeeri recipes vary by region and family, it is a long-standing traditional version made with ghee, whole-wheat atta flour, semolina (sooji), dried fruits, nuts, and seeds.

Panjiri | A Traditional Healing Food

If you have been following this blog, you know that I truly believe in the wisdom of traditional South Asian food. Our ancestors may not have studied compounds in food in laboratories, but they did observe the effects it had on their bodies. Using this wisdom, they created foods that healed, nourished, and adapted to everyone's needs and requirements.

Work is very hard on the body. In Western culture, we often forget how much women really need to heal. That's why I turn to traditional Ayurvedic foods that take into account the postpartum nutritional needs of recovering and lactating women.

Panjeeri is similar to muesli or granola, except it's next-level healthy (proudly biased opinion), making it a nutritious snack. It is a mixture of whole wheat flour (atta), fine semolina, nuts, seeds and herbs. You basically roast the entire South Asian superfood section of your pantry in ghee, mix it all up, and you have panjeeri benefits!

Ingredients

Obtaining the ingredients to make Panjeeri may seem more difficult than making the Panjeeri itself. You can find edible gum (goond), flame of the forest (kamarkas), fox nuts (phool makhana), and powdered brown sugar (gur) at many South Asian grocery stores (try calling before you go) or online, but feel free to omit any ingredients you cannot find. Are here:

Fox Nuts (Phool Makhana) – Also called puffed lotuses, they are light popcorn-like puffs. Raw phool makhana will not break if you bite into it. When cooked, it will be crunchy and break easily once you bite into it. Keep in mind that these absorb a lot of oil, so you don't need to add more unless you want to. These take longer to roast.
Flax Seeds – Available at most grocery stores. Feel free to substitute with flax meal if that's what you have on hand. I used 1 tablespoon here, but you can use more if you like.
Edible Gum (Goond Katira): This is an edible gum derived from the sap of a tree and is said to warm and strengthen the body. As the gum crystals cook, they burst and swell to nearly twice their size.
Nuts – I use raw almonds and walnuts or any other nuts I have in my pantry, like pistachios or cashews.
Coconut – You can use any type of coconut flakes. Keep in mind that the consistency of the coconut will affect the cooking time.
Ghee – Ghee is vital in Panjeeri. Be generous with this. This is what makes Panjeeri easy to eat and digest. Too little ghee makes the panjeeri a bit dry and hard to swallow.
Grits (Sooji) – For the best texture, choose fine grits over coarse. If you can't find it, coarse grits will work just fine.
Atta flour – Instead of dry roasting, I tried roasting the atta in 4 tablespoons of ghee for the same amount of time. I found this made for a heavier, ghee-laden panjeeri. The addition of the dry atta adds balance. You can also substitute more grits in place of the atta.
Golden Raisins – They add sweetness and texture to the panjeeri. If you add more, you can consume less sugar.
Powdered Brown Sugar (Gud): Use powdered brown sugar, raw cane sugar, or a mixture of both.
Flame of the Forest (Kamarkas) - Literally translated as "tighten the waist," said to be especially beneficial for new moms. I started with a modest amount since I'm not a fan of texture, but feel free to use more.

Tips & Notes for making Panjeeri (panjiri banane ka tarika)

The key to grilling everything well is to keep the heat medium to low and be patient with it. You want to remove the rawness of the ingredients so that the flavor and health-promoting properties stand out. But toasting too much will make the nuts, seeds, etc. bitter.
Try not to over-process the nuts and edible gum once they are toasted. Blending them too long will result in a nut butter consistency. For the panjeeri, we want a grainy consistency.
Clean the pan as you go. If you find bits of ingredients stuck to the bottom, wipe the pan with a paper towel or rinse it out. Then return to the fire and continue cooking.

Quantities of ingredients

ghee, as needed
2/3 cup (100 g) raw almond
1/2 cup (50 g) raw walnuts, pistachios, or cashews, or a combination of nuts
2-3 tbsp (25-40 g) edible gum (goond)
1 1/2-2 cups (~25 g) fox nuts (phool makhana)
2/3 cup (90-100 g) golden raisins
2/3 cup (55-65 g) desiccated coconut/coconut flakes
2-3 tbsp flax seeds or flax meal
1-2 tbsp (20 g) flame of forest (kamarkas), plus more, if desired
3/4 cup (150 g) fine semolina (sooji)
1 cup (120 g) durum whole wheat Atta flour
1/2 cup (~70 g) powdered jaggery, organic cane sugar, or a mix of both, plus more to taste

Instruction

Heat a large nonstick skillet or skillet over medium heat. Once hot, heat 2 tablespoons of ghee and add the almonds. Grill for 4 minutes, until lightly browned and with a nutty odor. Use a slotted spoon to scoop out the almonds and place them in a medium bowl. Next, add the walnuts or mixed nuts to the pan. Grill for 2-3 minutes until lightly golden. Remove and reserve in the same bowl as the almonds. Be careful not to over-roast as the nuts can turn bitter. Clean the pan, if necessary. (See Note 1)

Heat another 1-2 tablespoons of ghee and add the edible gum crystals (good). Grill, stirring frequently, for 4 to 5 minutes. The edible gummy crystals will look crunchy and puff up to nearly double their size. Remove and set aside with the nuts (you will grind them in a food processor later). Clean the pan as needed.

Heat 3 tablespoons of ghee and add the fox nuts (phool makhana). Grill for 10 minutes, until lightly browned and crisp. (See Note 2 to verify that it's ready.) Remove it to a small plate or bowl.

Reduce heat to low/low-medium and heat 1 tablespoon of ghee. Add the raisins and toast for 2 minutes, until they swell and begin to change color. Remove and place in a large bowl.

Still on low heat, add the coconut flakes and toast lightly for 1-2 minutes, or until they smell of coconut and turn a light golden color. Add the flax seeds to the coconut flakes and stir to combine. Remove and transfer to the large bowl with the raisins.

Increase the heat to medium and heat 1-2 tablespoons of the ghee. Add flame of the forest (kamarkas) to the grill for 2-3 minutes, until you can see it starting to show a red tint. Remove it and add it to the large bowl with the raisins and coconut.

Heat 2-3 tablespoons of ghee and add semolina. Stir the grits, frequently at the beginning and more continually towards the end so that it toasts evenly. Grill for 10-12 minutes or until golden. Remove from heat and place in the large bowl. Clean the semolina and ghee from the pan.

Without adding ghee, add whole wheat (atta) to the pan. Stir the atta, frequently at the beginning and more continuously towards the end so it gets evenly toasted. Dry roast for 17 to 20 minutes, or until the atta is browned and begins to give off a nutty aroma. You want to make sure it's fully cooked. Remove from heat and reserve in the large bowl.

In a food processor, add foxnuts and pulse until thick and crisp. Withdraw and reserve. Add the mixed nuts and edible gum crystals (from steps 1 and 2) to the food processor and puree until they are the same thick, crunchy consistency. You want them to be gritty but not fine as a powder or processed to the point of a nut butter consistency. Remove and add to a large bowl.

Mix to combine all the prepared ingredients (atta flour, grits, fox nuts, mixed nuts and edible gum, coconut and flaxseeds, flame of the forest, edible gum). Add the brown sugar/powdered cane sugar and mix again. Taste and adjust sweetness, as desired. If you feel the mixture is dry or hard to swallow, feel free to add ghee. Let cool. Store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place. For panjeeri recipe in urdu