Kitchen experiments by Mom and me! The Langar Ka Kada!

The best thing about Langar or going to Gurudwara is the super tasty food which is because it has been blessed by Wahe guru and this is a common phenomenon! Whenever we make food for any festival or whenever we get prasad from any temple or Gurudwara; it turns out to be so tasty!

It is interesting to note that we do not taste the food while cooking for Pooja or prasad but most of the time if you make with true devotion (read follow the instruction carefully!) then it will turn out to be tasty!

I have also believed that food or for that matter anything is in demand if the quantity made is less and you have to work for it!

Like you have to stand in a queue to get the prasad or when you see how little it is there, the craze and desire increases! It is also understood that most of the time we usually keep fast when we do puja or go to temple for any occasions! That hunger adds to the already increased desire!

Also the aroma slowly stimulates the acid secretion in the body which we call as the cephalic phase of digestion and this is dependent on many factors such as the sight, smell and your relative hunger!

Now coming to the Lungar Ka kada which for South Indians like my mom and me is a genuine rare prasad and for ages we were trying to replicate the recipe!

For an expert chef like my mom, it must have been an easy task but somehow the whole task gets some obstacle or the other!
Either it becomes too watery or too thick!
In all cases though the best thing is that the taste remains good! Of course not as good as the langar!

Then last year after a similar function we decided to make the kada! I got the best quality atta and ghee and with mom guiding from behind we set upon making the kada!

It was coming very nice and the part where we add the brown roasted atta slowly to the sugar water was really coming out well and I was constantly stirring! Then I asked mom whether we need to add Kova? She had asked me to buy and keep and so she told me to add a little.

The moment we added the kova, the whole mixture changed consistency and became hard as a rock! It had lumps now and it was impossible to cut!

Another defeat, but the taste was good nevertheless!

We looked at each other and said simultaneously in our own ways, “Next time!”

Of the many painful things to do after she passed away was to clean the place and her fridge!


There in a corner was two packets of good quality Kova…

When finally I had the mental strength to make the kada in an ode to mom, we cooked the kova first for some time and I used a filter to strain it (I had no idea who was guiding me! I just felt that I need to do this!)

Believe me, I did not even take proportions of atta and water which is very important in making Kada! And lo it came out better than ever! Guess it works only if you have a person of influence (read mom!) up there!

The tips to note are these

– Cook the kova separately with sugar and strain it so that it does not form lumps
– Keep on stirring the mixture and do not leave it for even a second
– Use lots of ghee so that it remains soft
– Use atta as per the quantity as if it gets more then the whole halwa becomes hard
– You can use little less sugar since the kova is there and also the stirring is easier!!


So this is for you mom, and as usual your representative Kashika (my daughter!) loved it!