Quinoa mukhwas balls
If you're looking for a little something to give your friends this holiday season or something to serve your guests after a festive meal, try these quinoa mukhwa balls. They're made with toasted quinoa, gulkand, and dates, and are super refreshing, slightly crunchy, and surprisingly addictive.
- ½ cup quinoa (90 grams)
- ¼ cup fennel seeds (30 grams)
- 1 tablespoon candied fennel (13 grams)
- ½ cup coconut flakes (30 grams, unsweetened)
- 2 tablespoon gulkand (48 grams)
- 5-6 medjool dates (75 grams, pitted & chopped)
- desiccated coconut powder (to roll)
- To a pan on medium heat, add ½ cup quinoa (raw). Toast in, stirring constantly for around 6 to 7 minutes until you get a nutty smell. Some quinoa will also pop at this point. Remove it on a plate.
- To the same pan, now add ¼ cup fennel seeds, stir and toast them for around 2 to 3 minutes until fragrant. Remove them on the same plate.
- On the same plate, now gather all the other ingredients- 1 tablespoon candied fennel, ½ cup coconut flakes, 2 tablespoons gulkand and 5-6 dates (chopped). Add everything to a food processor and pulse until everything comes together.
- Transfer the sticky dough to a plate and grease your hands with lightly with oil. Take small portion of the dough and then roll it between your palms to form a ball. Roll the balls into desiccated coconut powder. Make all quinoa mukhwas balls similarly.
- Store them in an airtight container for 2-3 days at room temperature.
If you're looking for a little something to give your friends this holiday season or something to serve your guests after a festive meal, try these quinoa mukhwa balls. They're made with toasted quinoa, gulkand, and dates, and are super refreshing, slightly crunchy, and surprisingly addictive.
My paan coco ladoos have been a reader favorite for many years. This year I wanted to make something similar but different. The goal was to create a refreshing dessert to enjoy after the festive meal, like mukhwas. And that's how I came up with these quinoa mukhwa balls.
You can toast the quinoa in the oven or in a pan (like I did). The toasted quinoa gives these little balls a delicious crunch, along with the fennel seeds. I tried this recipe several times and had to adjust the amount of quinoa and fennel until I found what I think works best.
Toast in the oven: Preheat the oven to 175°C and toast the quinoa for 16-17 minutes, shaking the tray once during the process.
The addition of gulkand (preserved rose petals), candied fennel, and shredded coconut gives these little balls a refreshing flavor, making them perfect to serve to your guests after a large meal. They keep well at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 2 or 3 days. In the refrigerator, they will keep for up to 5 days. They taste best when eaten within 48 hours.
Let's make these refreshing little balls!
- First, toast the quinoa.
You can do this step on the stovetop or in the oven. I did it on the stovetop, stirring constantly over medium heat for about 7 minutes. You'll hear some of them pop when they're toasted, and they'll also smell nutty.
In addition to the quinoa, the fennel also needs to be toasted, though it only requires 2-3 minutes until fragrant. Be careful, it burns quickly! Then, gather all the ingredients to prepare the mukhwas. I chopped the pitted date so it would blend easily with the other ingredients.
- Mix everything together
Blend all the ingredients in a food processor. The dates, gulkand, quinoa, fennel, and candied fennel will form a sticky dough. Transfer the dough to a pan or plate to form the mukhwas.
- Form balls
Grease your hands with a little oil, then form small balls with the mixture, rolling them in shredded coconut. This mixture yielded 14 balls. Store them in an airtight container so they don't dry out quickly.