Ale Pak: The Spicy Maharashtrian Sweet That Fights Cold And Cough (Recipe Inside)
Ale Pak: The Spicy Maharashtrian Sweet That Fights Cold And Cough (Recipe Inside)
A winter sweet with a punchy, spicy hit, ale pak - the ginger candy of Maharashtra - is a delicious oxymoron.
Ale Pak is made with simple ingredients found in every Indian kitchen.
Ale Pak is very easy to make and can be prepared in minutes!
I have to be upfront about this one. Ale pak, the Maharashtrian winter-special sweet, is known multifariously as alyachi vadi or ginger barfi/candy. Not to be confused with the western candied ginger, where whole chunks of ginger are dunked into a sugar solution till crystallisation occurs, ale pak is more like a barfi. Albeit a super pungent barfi. Made with very simple ingredients found in every Indian kitchen, like the paste made from peeled, fresh ginger root, sugar, milk and ghee, this Maharashtrian winter treat sure is an acquired taste. And it isn't for everyone! It sure wasn't for me when I first tried it decades ago as a wee lad. But more on that later.