Rajasthani Honeycomb Crispy Sweet Disc

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This iconic Rajasthani festival sweet is famed for its intricate honeycomb lattice, achieved by pouring an ice-cold flour batter through a perforated ladle into hot ghee. Crisp at the edges and soft in the middle, each disc is soaked in saffron-cardamom syrup and crowned with thickened milk, pistachios, and almonds.

Nutrition Facts

Per serving (estimated)

• 610 kcalCalories
• 32 gFat
• 16 gSaturated Fat
• 72 gCarbs
• 2 gFiber
• 45 gSugar
• 8 gProtein
• 95 mgSodium
• 260 mgPotassium
• 180 mgCalcium
• 2 mgIron
• 1 mgVitamin C
• 180 mcgVitamin A

Ingredients

For the batter

• 1 cup all-purpose flour (maida)
• 2 tablespoons melted ghee
• 1/4 cup plain whole-milk yogurt
• 3/4 cup cold whole milk
• 1/2 cup cold water
• 6 ice cubes
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
• A pinch of saffron strands, crumbled

For the saffron-cardamom syrup

• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• 4 green cardamom pods, lightly crushed
• 8 saffron strands
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon rose water

For frying and topping

• 3 cups ghee, for deep-frying
• 1 cup thickened sweetened milk (rabdi)
• 3 tablespoons pistachios, slivered
• 2 tablespoons almonds, slivered
• Extra saffron strands, to garnish

Directions

1. Whisk flour, melted ghee, yogurt, milk, water, cardamom, and saffron in a large bowl until completely smooth, then stir in the ice cubes and refrigerate for 20 minutes so the batter stays ice-cold throughout frying.
2. Meanwhile, make the syrup: combine sugar, water, cardamom, and saffron in a saucepan, bring to a boil, and simmer 6-7 minutes until slightly sticky (one-thread consistency), then stir in lemon juice and rose water and keep warm.
3. Heat ghee in a wide deep pan to 300-320°F (about 2 inches deep). Hold a round perforated ladle or fine-mesh skimmer 8-10 inches above the ghee and pour a ladle of cold batter in a slow steady circular motion so fine threads fall into the ghee and form a lacy disc about 5-6 inches across.
4. Fry each disc 3-4 minutes, gently basting the top with hot ghee from a small ladle so it cooks evenly, until pale gold and crisp. Lift out with a slotted spatula and drain briefly on a wire rack.
5. While still hot, dip each disc in the warm syrup for 20-30 seconds, turning once, then place on a serving plate so it absorbs the syrup.
6. Spoon a small circle of thickened sweetened milk in the center of each disc and sprinkle generously with pistachios, almonds, and a pinch of saffron strands.
7. Repeat with the remaining batter, re-icing the bowl between batches and skimming the ghee to keep it clean; fry a small test disc first if needed to adjust hole size and crispness.
8. Serve at room temperature within a few hours so the lace stays crisp and the syrup stays glossy.

Cook’s Notes

• Batter temperature is everything: keep it ice-cold and re-add ice cubes between batches, or the honeycomb lattice collapses in the ghee.
• Pour height matters: hold the perforated ladle at least 8 inches above the ghee so thin threads form before hitting the oil and create the signature honeycomb look.
• Keep the ghee steady at 300-320°F; too hot burns the lace and too cool makes the disc dense and oily.
• For a quicker topping, replace rabdi with 1 cup sweetened condensed milk whisked with 1/4 cup heavy cream and a pinch of saffron.
• Fry one test disc first to check hole size, crispness, and syrup absorption before committing to the full batch.

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