Kansar is a traditional Gujarati sweet made with coarse wheat flour, jaggery, sugar and aromatic spices. It's deliciously comforting and oozes ghee. Heavenly!
Note – This recipe has been updated from the archives – first published in November 2015. I’ve added new images and helpful content, the recipe remains the same.
Kansar is often seen as an old fashioned and humble recipe and that's probably because it has centuries old routes. It's often prepared on auspicious occasions and in our house, my Mum makes it on the first day of Diwali.
We serve it as part of a Gujarati thali with poori, a potato shaak such as ringan bateta nu shaak, Gujarati dal and bhaat.
The first day of Diwali is Dhanteras and is associated with wealth. Kansar or lapsi is made in many Gujarati households as a way to bring good luck into the new year.
Lucky for me, it tastes so good I might just ignore the calendar and eat it all year round!
Gujaratis will also prepare fixed dishes on the other days of Diwali. It's usually a variation of the following:
- Kali chaudas - bajri na vada or dal vada and rice kheer.
- A typical Gujarati thali on Diwali consists of dal, bhat, shaak, puri, farsan such as methi na gota and churma ladoo
- Bestu varas (Gujarati New Year) - sooji no siro or shrikhand and batata vada.
- Bhai beej - biranj or Kansar and sandwich dhokla.
At the risk of sounding like a teacher, there are a few bits to clear up. You may see that the name kansar and lapsi is used interchangeably for this recipe. Strictly speaking, they are two different desserts. Kansar is made with coarse whole wheat flour (aka jado lot) and both jaggery and sugar. Lapsi (fada lapsi) is made with cracked wheat and either jaggery or sugar but not both.
Ok, teacher talk over. On to the recipe ingredients ...
A note on ingredients
Be sure to check out the full recipe and exact ingredient list below in the recipe card.
The base of the recipe starts with jado lot - coarse whole wheat flour. It's often sold as bhakhri flour. It's quite hard to get hold of, so the trick is to use equal parts chapati atta and semolina. This gives the same texture as coarse whole wheat flour. Whenever we've used wholemeal coarse flour, the kansar becomes darker in colour. This time, I've used chakki atta. I asked my Mum why we specifically need to use coarse whole wheat flour. She explained that normal whole wheat flour will make the kansar sticky.
Spices - the traditional recipe uses cardamom powder, nutmeg powder and crushed fennel seeds. My Mum also adds whole spices - cinnamon and clove which add even more depth. Poppy seeds are also added to give richness and coconut for flavour.
For sweetness, kansar is made with jaggery and sugar, specifically caster sugar known as booru khand. The jaggery is dissolved in water to make a light syrup and the caster sugar is sprinkled on top before serving.
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📖 Recipe
Gujarati Kansar
Ingredients
- 210 grams coarse whole wheat flour
- 5 tablespoon oil
- 100 gram jaggery
- 200 millilitres water
- 5 tablespoon ghee
- 2 cloves
- 1 inch cinnamon bark
- 1 tablespoon white poppy seeds khus khus
- ½ teaspoon fennel seeds crushed
- ¼ teaspoon cardamom powder
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg powder
- 2 tablespoon grated coconut
- 3-4 tablespoon nuts chopped almonds, pistachios and cashews
- 3 tablespoon caster sugar
- rose petals garnishing
Instructions
- Heat jaggery and water in a pan until the jaggery dissolves completely. Strain using a fine mesh sieve to remove any impurities and set aside.
- Meanwhile, place the flour in a non stick pan and start toasting on a very low heat. Keep stirring continuously until you can smell a roasting aroma and flour starts turning cream in colour.
- Switch of the heat.
- Transfer the toasted flour into bowl and add oil. Mix well and take a small amount of flour in your hand and mould together. If it doesn’t remain stuck together add a spoon of oil at a time until it does.
- In a pan, add 2-3 tablespoons of ghee and place on the heat. Add cloves, cinnamon and poppy seeds. Pour in the jaggery water and bring to a gentle boil.
- Reduce the heat to as low as possible and add the toasted flour into the pan. Ensure it is evenly distributed but do not mix.
- With tip of a rolling pin gently dig into the flour. Cover the pan with a lid and keep the heat low.
- After 10-12 minutes check if all the water has absorbed. If it has, the kansar is cooked. Switch off the heat.
- Add crushed fennel seeds, cardamom powder, nutmeg powder, grated coconut and chopped nuts. Gently mix so the spices are well incorporated and the larger lumps are broken up.
- Serve warm in bowls. Drizzle over melted ghee, sprinkle the sugar and garnish with more nuts and rose petals.
Video
Nutrition
PLEASE NOTE: Nutritional values are estimated by a computer and may vary based on ingredients and portion sizes. For personalised dietary advice, please consult a qualified healthcare professional.
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Hayley Dhanecha says
There’s something wonderfully comforting about a bowl of freshly made kansar. It reminds me that some of the most memorable sweets are often the simplest.
Ashima says
In Bohra tradition, we eat lapsi on the Islamic New Year eve! 🙂