Melt in your mouth pinnis made with atta, besan, sugar and spices.
What are Atta Besan Pinnis
Pinnis are a quintessential winter staple in many Punjabi households. Made with either whole wheat flour, besan, or both, they are full of warming spices, nuts, and nutrients. You could essentially call them the OG energy ball. I know traditional dishes like pinniyan can often feel overwhelming but I wanted to show you how it’s just a matter of gathering the ingredients and taking it one step at a time.
How to make Atta Besan Pinnis
These Atta Besan Pinnis are an absolute favorite of mine. You’ll need atta, besan, almonds, ghee, brown sugar, ginger powder, saunf, ajwain, melon sends, and gondh, an edible gum that’s excellent for your joints during the cold months.
Start by roasting the almonds, melon seeds, followed by the edible gum in the ghee. Set those aside and grind once cool. Next roast the besan in the same ghee followed by the atta until golden brown. Add in the remaining ingredients and mix until everything is incorporated before removing it from the heat. Now just shape the pinnis while the mixture is still warm and you have nourishing treats to enjoy throughout winter.
Looking for more Lohri treats? This this Palak Paneer, Sarson ka Saag, and Besan ke Ladoo.
- ½ cup whole wheat flour / atta
- 1 cup gram flour / besan
- ½ cup almonds
- ¾ cup ghee
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon sondh / ginger powder
- ¼ cup chare magaz / melon seeds
- 1½ teaspoon saunf / fennel seeds
- 1 teaspoon ajwain / carom seeds
- 2½ tablespoon gondh / edible gum
- ⅛ teaspoon jaiphal powder / nutmeg powder
- In a heavy bottomed pan, over low to medium heat, dry roast the saunf and ajwain until they begin to deepen in color. Remove from heat and set aside.
- In the same pan warm the ghee until it melts.
- Add the almonds and roast them for 3-4 minutes. Using a slotted spoon remove them and add to a large plate.
- Next add the chare magaz / melon seeds and roast them for 2-3 minutes, removing them with a slotted spoon as well and near the almonds.
- Finally add the gondh / edible gum and let it pop up and roast until pinkish in color, remove from ghee and on the same plate of the almond.
- Allow these ingredients to cool before coarsely grading them in a food processor.
- In the large pan with ghee, keep the heat on medium low and add the besan. Roast until it starts turning golden in color and then add the atta.
- Stir-fry this mixture for 5-6 minutes until it turns golden brown and the ghee starts to leaves the sides. It will start smelling nutty and aromatic.
- Reduce the heat to low and add the crushed almond, gondh, and magaz mixture. Next add the brown sugar, sounf, ajwain, and nutmeg powder.
- Mix the ingredients well for another 2-3 minutes and turn off heat. Remove from heat and let it come to a warm temperature.
- Take a handful of the mix and make a tight fist to shape the dough into a lad shape or oblong-shaped pinni. Keep pressing it until you have a tightly bound pinni that holds shape.
- Store in an air-tight container at room temperature for up to 4-5 weeks.
Enjoy,
