Janmashtami 2022: How Did Mohanthal Get Its Name
Image Credit: Mohanthal

Janmashtami is around the corner and is widely celebrated across the country to mark the birth of Lord Krishna. On this auspicious day, devotees observe fast and worship their beloved Lord Krishna. Since Lord Krishna was said to be fond of sweets, the devotees make several traditional sweets and offer them to the deity. One of those traditional sweets is Mohanthal. Made of besan, ghee, and milk, this delicacy holds a special significance in the Janmashtami. 

Mohanthal is a festive Indian dessert that is a concoction of ghee, besan, and sugar. This is a traditional dessert made in both Gujarat and Rajasthan states. But this dessert has a basic difference in both the states. Unlike the Rajasthani version of Mohanthal which has khoya, the Gujarati version does not require any khoya in the making of this traditional dessert. This festive dish is made by sauteing gram flour, ghee, and milk until it turns golden and aromatic followed by covering the mixture with sot sugar syrup and topped with chopped almonds and pistachios. Thereafter, the mixture is set on greased try and sliced into shape before getting served. Infused with cardamom powder and sometimes saffron and rose essence, Mohanthal is an inseparable part of Janmashtami. 

Coming to the fact about how the dish actually got its name. Among several famous legends about the dish, one of the most popular says that this dessert used to be the favorite of Lord Krishna and because of this, it was named mohanthal. Interestingly, ‘Mohan’ means Krishna while ‘thal’ means bhog or prashad. Because of being loved by Lord Krishna, this dessert was named so and is still offered to the deity. I think we have got quite clear about the name of this traditional dish. Wondering how to make it? Follow these steps and make the delicious mohanthal dessert this Janmashtami.

Ingredients

  •  2 cups gram flour
  • ½ cup milk
  • ¼ tsp cardamom powder
  • ½ cups sugar
  • ¾ cup ghee
  • Chopped almonds
  • Chopped pistachios

Method

  • Start by straining gram flour
  • Take a pan and heat ghee in it
  • Then add ghee and gram flour
  • Also, add cardamom and let it roast for some time
  • Meanwhile, prepared sugar syrup in a pot
  • After the mixture turns brown and aromatic, turn off the flame and set it aside for sometime
  • After it has cooled down, put it into the syrup
  • Now add milk to it as required to get the consistency
  • Spread this mixture on a plate
  • Add almonds and pistachios to the top
  • Let it cool down
  • Cut it into square shapes 
  • Serve

Enjoy!