अक्का पणजीची गुळाची साटोरी | Akka Panaji’s Gulaachi Saatori | Happy 5th Anniversary Foodelicious | Step Wise Method

Hi all!

Let me first begin by thanking all my readers for their constant support through my five years of blogging.

While I type this post my mind is wandering through the webbed memories of my childhood. Webbed, as their are many memories which are beautifully entwined with each other and unfolding one opens up so many, for which I would take time, but I would keep doing that through my posts especially when the fond memories are about food and the food I learnt from my Great grandmother whom we fondly called Akka Panaji.

I have posted her version of उपवासाचे थालीपीठ​ here earlier which was appreciated enormously, so I though of sharing another marvel of a recipe from my great grand mother’s treasure bag. My Dad has always stayed away from his home town, so summer holidays meant visiting home town and staying with grand parents and getting pampered by them. So, till I passed my 12th standard, every summer vacation I have visited my grand parents. Till my great grand mother was alive, every holiday that we spent at our native place, we were treated with these sweet discs called ‘satoris’ and if any one from the home town visited us later in the year, we were sure to get a batch of these sweet goodies.

Once she passed away, the satoris were made but the frequency came down and off late it had completely stopped. Later we would taste akka’s ( my mom’s mother) version of satori which is the more common version of satori seen in Maharashtrian households, we used to like it but not love them. So when I visited my Mom in the summer vacations, I made it a point to learn the great grand mother’s version from her. She told me that all the women family members had always observed Akka Panaji making the satoris but no one knew the exact measurement of the ingredients. She said, I would try making them but can’t promise that they would be exactly the same.

The traditional version of satori  (originally called Sanjori/ सांज़ोरी) is made with a filling of sweet sanja, i.e, daliya/दलिया (fine broken wheat) cooked in jaggery but over a period of time it has got replaced with a filling made of fresh coconut, sugar, khoya and semolina which is filled in wheat-refined flour shell. In most  Maharashtrian households the satori is  made using this version but the version I’m talking about is unusual as it’s very healthy and extremely tasty too as the filling is made using  jaggery, poppy seeds, dry coconut and filled in  a whole-wheat shell. This preparation comes from my great grand mother’s family, so has been passed through generations.The stuffed shells are first roasted and then deep fried due to which the satoris do not absorb the clarified butter. These taste best a day after they are made as the sweetness gets absorbed by the shell and there’s a balance of flavours.

So, on my persistence my mom made the satori and I also tried making them along with her and eventually I shaped them better than her, for a simple reason that my Mom has become old and with all her medical problems she doesn’t have strong grip in her fingers but that did not demotivate her from teaching me the recipe. I can not say that we exactly replicated my great grand mother’s creation but it was quite close to the original preparation in terms of flavour and taste and texture wise and crust wise it was exactly the same. Crispy outside and soft in the centre. So here’s the detailed process of how I learnt the satori and the tips and tricks, my mom gave while we made it or rather nailed it

अक्का पणजीची गुळाची साटोरी

Akka Panaji’s Gulaachi Saatori

Preparation Time:1hour | Cooking Time: 1hour | Makes: 18-20 pieces | Difficulty Level: Moderate

 

Ingredients

1/2 cup poppy seeds (खस-खस​), roasted

1-1/2 cups grated dry coconut, roasted and hand crushed

1/4 cup roasted wheat flour (for filling)

1-1/2tsp cardamom powder

2cups jaggery (गुड़)

2-1/2 cups whole wheat flour (for cover)

2/3 cups refined oil

clarified butter for frying

Method

Roast the poppy seeds on a low flame, till the aroma arises. Cool and grind it.

Roast the 1/4 cup wheat flour in the microwave for about 2-3 minutes. Mix twice during the process.

Roast the dry coconut on a low flame, till golden in colour. Cool a little and hand crush. It gets crushed easily when warm.

Break the Jaggery into smaller pieces and melt them on high microwave for a minute and mix using a spoon.

Add the dry coconut, poppy seeds and roasted flour into the jaggery and mix.

Take a mix into one palm and rub using the other to break the lumps*, if any are there.

Add cardamom powder to the mix. The filling is ready.

Take the remaining wheat flour and add oil to it,mix using hands to get a crumbly texture. Add water gradually to knead a soft dough. A soft dough enables easy spreading, filling and rolling.

Divide the filling into small lemon size portions and make soft balls.

Divide the dough into similar number of balls which are little larger than the filling.

Spread the wheat ball to form a small bowl shape using fingers. Place the filling there and break it gently.

Pull the corners of the dough to cover the filling, close all the open ends to make a ball.

Press the ball lightly and applying less pressure roll to form a 3inch disc. Ensure that the disc does not open or tear while rolling*.

Heat a griddle and on a medium flame roast the discs on either sides.

Once all the discs are roasted then fry them in the clarified butter (ghee) till golden in colour. The frying doesn’t take long as the discs are roasted earlier.

Cool the fried discs, these are called the satori. Once cool store in an air tight container.

Notes:
*Making a lump free filling is essential as it will tear the disc while rolling.
* If by any chance the disc tears or opens up while rolling then my Mom gave an easy solution to that, make a paste using wheat flour and water and apply it on the torn areas. While roasting the paste seals and no one can make out if the disc ever had any problem.