Meethi Tikiyaan, Traditional Recipe w/ Tips! - Pakistani

Cardamom and saffron scented fritters, tender on the inside, a slight crunch on the outside - this recipe has passed down through my family for generations and it warms my heart to see it become part of yours.

I once read that the essence of a culture is in the words that cannot be translated. Explained yes, but not directly translated.

The example given by the author was of Urdu word "takalluf". "Takalluf" is that polite first and often second time refusal of an offer that stems from good manners. Someone asks for tea and you politely refuse the first time, perhaps even the second even as your eyes are practically glued shut from exhaustion.

Recipe Origins

There are many recipes for meethi tikiyaan out there, some with shredded coconut folded in, most with a handful of semolina. The version I am sharing is the one taught to me by my youngest aunt, our resident tikiyaan maker extraordinaire. It is one she learnt from her aunt who learnt it from her mother, and so on.

Regular readers will know that I don't often value tradition for the sake of tradition, it has to make sense. When I share a recipe like this, that is part art part science it is because when you bite into it, and know it is just right it strikes a chord so powerful you can almost feel the generations behind it.

Tikiyaan makers will see one big difference between this recipe and all others.

Also while others make their meethi tikiyaan 3-4 inches big, my Aunt makes hers an eminently snackable 2 inches.

Meethi Tikiyaan and "Niaz"

Meethi Tikiyaan are a staple at the Rajab Kundon ki Niaz. The Niaz is an open house style meal that is hosted with the hope of receiving blessings in  an auspicious month. The day of a niaz would entail a mad rush of cooking and cleaning, but I always looked forward to when my aunt would swoop in like a mini hurricane simultaneously instructing me on how to plate the tikiyaan and admonishing us to resist from sampling them lest we run out.

My last Rajab in Karachi I went over to my Aunts one night to learn how to make her trademark tikis and immediately learnt two things. One, that my meethi tikiyaan would never be as good as hers with her years of know how and two, that tikiyan are an art not science.

Meethi Tikiyaan Troubleshooting & Tips:

• - If you are making the meethi tikiyaan on a very hot day
  * Please don't add the milk in the first round of kneading. The inclusion of ghee in the recipe will keep the dough soft enough when it melds after resting.
  * Refrigerate any dough that you are not using so that it stays workable.
  - If you are making tikiyaan in a colder dryer climate
  * You may need to add ½ tbsp of milk early on in the process.
  * If the tikiyaan are 'dry' enough to touch then for that first batch you may not even need extra flour to roll them out 
• The dough will be firm, but do not overwork it. Bring it together, let it rest, give it a quick knead. 
• Use freshly pounded cardamom seeds NOT powder
• The brand of ghee you use will impact the taste, go with one you really like!
• Temperature of ghee/oil is super important. When it is right the tikiyaan will initially fall to the bottom and slowly cook through a rise to the bottom. If the temperature isn't right some of them may break (still tasty)
• Sugar - I get a lot of questions about which sugar to use. In Pakistan we grind the sugar a little because the granules are very thick, in Canada I do not. I have made these with half sugar in the raw and half regular and they're delicious, but a little more rustic looking.
• Help! My Tikiyaan are Breaking! Deep breath. You sure the ghee is at the right temperature? If so then take a good look at your dough. Is it crumbly/dry? add a warm spoonful of milk, knead. Too soft? add a heaped spoonful of flour, knead. Fry on 🙂
• Too hard: If your tikiyaan were the right texture when you made them but are getting too hard then store them with a slice of bread. This is a tip I got from one of my readers who tried it out and it works!

A little heart to heart

Now that we have all that out of the way can I tell you something? I have made these quite a few times now and they are never ever exactly the same from one to the next and that is absolutely fine. They are always delicious but in Urdu as we say "unees-bees ka faraq hai".

When you make them the first time write down what you liked, what you didn't like and make it your own! It makes my heart sing when I see the different adaptations of these that people have been sharing with me. Cardamom-nutmeg, coconut, semolina - so many exciting twists on this classic Meethi Tikiyan! Keep them coming folks!

What goes with Meethi Tikiyaan?

One word: Kheer.

Three options:

• Bread Kheer
• Instant Pot Kheer
• Stovetop Rice Kheer

All three recipes are simplified, accessible, and dare I say, extremely delicious?

Made this recipe? Rate it below (the stars on the printable!) and tag me in your creations on instagram. Are you a visual learner? Check out my instagram story highlights (I am @flourandspiceblog) to see photos/videos!

Print Recipe

4.71 from 17 votes

Meethi Tikiyaan

Sweet fritters flecked with cardamom and saffron

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time40 minutes mins

resting time2 hours hrs

Total Time40 minutes mins

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Indian, Pakistani

Keyword: meethi tiki, meethi tikiyan

Servings: 28 pieces

Author: Sarah Mir

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cup + 2 tbsp flour
• ¾ cup + 1 tbsp sugar add more if you have prefer
• ¼ t salt
• a scant ½ tsp baking powder, closer to ⅓ of a tsp
• ½ cup + 1 tbsp whipping cream
• ¾ tbsp ghee clarified butter
• 1 heaped teaspoon saffron threads
• 1 tsp ground cardamom coarsely pounded is best
• a few drops of kewra or rosewater essence
• 2 tbsp warm milk to use as needed
• Ghee for frying lots of it!

Instructions

• Combine all the ingredients except the milk in a large bowl with clean hands. The saffron you can snip into smaller pieces and scatter over.
• Knead just until it all comes together to form a cohesive ball - the dough will not and should not be perfectly smooth, just hold together well and it will be on the harder side. If you cannot achieve this without the milk then add ½ tbsp of the milk and knead one more time. Do not add too much milk.
• Set the dough aside and let it rest for at least two hours. Overnight is fine as well. In an hour or two you should see that the dough has taken off a little bit of a sheen. If it hasn't then add a half tbsp of ghee and knead it in.
• When you are ready to cook heat ghee on a low flame in a wide pot (at least 8 inches). Heating ghee to the right temperature is key. A small ball of dough put into the ghee should sink to the bottom and instantly start slowly sizzling, gradually rising up and frying golden not brown. If it isn't rising the ghee is not hot enough, if it is darkening fast then add more ghee to bring down the temperature.
• Roll out the dough for the tikiyaan on a lightly floured surface (flour more if the dough is too sticky to handle) and roll out to about ⅛ of an inch or sugar cookie thickness. The tikiyaan will puff up a little when cooked. Use your cutter of choice - I used the top of a babyfood jar but you can use any thing clean and round and cut out the tikiyaan.
• Fry just one first to make sure it is frying correctly, cook till the center looks slightly golden and the edges a little more so - about 2.5 minutes on one side and 2 on the other. If you overcook them they will be ok the day off, but considerably crunchier the next day. The tiki will have a craggier surface on on side and that is totally fine. 
• If you are happy with the outcome then fry 5 at a time,  adding ghee as needed to the pot. Be careful when you flip them, gentle is the way to go. Do remember that as the ghee level draws down the tikiyaan will brown faster, add ghee as needed.
• Tikiyaan keep well for weeks in a tightly sealed container.
• My 2-inch cutter yielded about 26-28 mini tikiyaan with this amount of dough.

Video

Notes

Please read the troubleshooting section in the blog post before you start!

The recipe quantities may seem overly fiddly, but this is a scaled down version and I find that it works best with these quantities!

Looking for another desi dessert?

How about this easy No Churn Kulfa Ice Cream or a Coconut Barfi?