Puffed corn candy is a very easy to prepare sweet that can serve as a quick snack for kids in between meals, if they feel like eating something light before an activity or homework.
Ingredients:
- Puffed Corn Cereal (3 cups)
- Ghee (1 tsp)
- Jaggery (1 heaped tbsp)
- Cinnamon powder (a pinch)
- Water (1 tsp)
Method:
- Heat ghee on a wide pan on medium heat.
- Add grated jaggery and water.
- When the jaggery fully melts, lower the flame and saute for a minute till the jaggery thickens a bit.
- Now add the puffed corn cereal and a pinch of cinnamon powder.
- Roast on medium flame for another minute till the corn becomes nice and crisp.
Tastes (Rasa):
Sweet (corn, jaggery, ghee), sour (none), salty (none), bitter (none), pungent (cinnamon), astringent (cinnamon).
Doshic Influence:
Anything that is excessively sweet is considered kapha aggravating. But in moderation, this snack should be safe for kaphas also. Ensure that you add spices like cinnamon, dry ginger powder or cardamom powder for kaphas, to add slight pungency and enhance digestibility. Corn reduces water retention and when puffed is even drier and is great for absorbing excess kapha liquids from the stomach. Spring is kapha season, so is a great season to indulge in this snack. Vatas should exercise caution and not eat too much of puffed cereals, since they will be excessively drying for vatas. Jaggery as a sweetener is better than its refined white sugar counterpart. But it is slightly heating, so pittas need to watch out. Cinnamon has many benefits – helps regulate blood sugar, is great for soothing an itchy throat, and enhances digestion. Ghee is nourishing and tridoshic.
Effects on the Mind (Gunas):
Sweet, nourishing, yet light – this is a sattvic dessert that can be enjoyed in moderation. Ensure that non-GMO corn cereal is used.