The Indian festive season is jam-packed with excitement and cuisine! At this time of year, we cook a lot of sweets and snacks. This easy Magas recipe, made with the goodness of gram flour, ghee, and sugar, will be enjoyed by people of all ages. You can also make Magas ladoo using the same recipe. I learned this recipe from my Gujarati friend, Shalvi Shah. For all the North Indians, this recipe is very similar to besan burfi. The only difference is for besan burfi; we make sugar syrup, while in this recipe, the sugar is added directly to the roasted besan. Serve this delectable recipe on a special occasion to indulge yourself and your family! If you love Gujarati food, check out 20+ Gujarati Recipes you will enjoy!
Watch How to Make Magas
What is Magas?
Magas, sometimes known as Magaj or Magaz, is a Gujarati-style besan burfi/ladoo. It is a highly famous and well-liked sweet in all Gujarati homes. Magas is made by cooking gram flour in ghee over low-medium heat until it turns brown. Cardamom powder and sugar are added and garnished with nuts. (Note: Gram flour or besan is often also called chickpea flour. Gram flour is made with Chana Dal. See my chickpea flour post for more details) Magas requires a coarse texture, which can be obtained by using magas flour (course gram flour) and adding some milk at the end. Some people also use this technique called “Dhrabo” (in Gujarati) to get a grainy texture when using regular gram flour (which is fine in texture). Mix warm milk and ghee into the flour and let it rest for 30 minutes. The flour is then sieved with a medium-hole strainer and then used in the recipe. This method is also used to make “Mohanthal”. On Diwali, Magas is traditionally cooked in most Gujarati houses. If you prefer, you can also prepare it in the form of a ladoo rather than a barfi.
Difference between Magas and Besan Burfi
If you look at the Besan Barfi recipe, you will notice that the ingredients to make Magas are the same. However, there are slight differences. You will see that the method to make is also similar to besan ladoo; however, besan ladoo typically has a smoother texture compared to the grainy texture of magas.
Ingredients
Besan: Magas are often made with coarse besan flour. You might be able to find a special Magaj flour at the Indian grocery store or ladoo besan. If you don’t have it, you can substitute regular besan flour. I have included the method of Dhrabo that you should use if using regular besan. Ghee: When baking sweets, I prefer to use homemade ghee. Ghee from the store works as well. Milk: 3-4 tablespoons to add after roasting the besan. This helps with the grainy texture. Sugar: For this recipe, use powdered sugar. If you have granulated sugar, pulse it a few times in a grinder to powder it. Ground Cardamom: This is green cardamom powder. If you have entire green cardamom pods, use a spice grinder to grind them. It’s fine to mill them alongside the sugar. Garnish: Slivered almonds and pistachios (optional) (optional if using regular besan flour) Warm Milk and Ghee: Required for Dhrabo. Making great Magas requires a coarse texture, which we can achieve by adding warm milk and ghee to the flour. The procedure is known as ‘Dhrabo’ in Gujarati. We need warm milk and ghee, not piping hot.
How to make Magas?
Making magas is fairly easy; however, make sure to follow the steps to get perfectly set magas. The first step of Dhrabo is only required if you were not able to find magas flour and are using regular besan flour for this recipe.
Dhrabo (if using regular gram flour)
In a small mixing bowl, combine gram flour, milk, and ghee. Allow for a 30-minute rest period. Note: This process is called “Dhrabo”. This will give a grainy texture. To moisten the flour for Dhrabo/to laminate the flour, use warm ghee and milk. Do not miss this step. It is really important, or else you will not get the classic grainy texture.
After 30 minutes, sieve the mixture with a medium-hole strainer to get a consistent texture. The texture should be similar to fine cornmeal.
Roasting Flour & Preparing Mixture
Melt ghee in a pan over medium heat.
Add the magas flour (or prepared gram flour) to the pan and roast at a low-medium temperature until the mixture smells nutty and has darkened slightly in color.
The ghee and besan flour mixture will seem like a paste at first. However, when the flour starts to roast, it will become liquidy.
Continue stirring to keep the mixture from sticking to the bottom of the pan and from burning. It should be done within 20-25 minutes.
Now turn the flame to the lowest and add 3-4 tablespoons of milk, one tablespoon at a time. The mixture will bubble up and become grainy. Keep stirring as you add the milk.
Turn off the flame. Continue stirring for 1-2 minutes more, as the pan is still hot, and we don’t want the flour to burn. Mix the cardamom powder and stir it.
After 8-10 minutes, add the powdered sugar. We want the flour to be warm but not very hot, as otherwise the sugar will melt and make the mixture too thin.
Setting Magas
Grease a small baking tray 9×9 with ghee or line with parchment paper. I prefer to use parchment paper as that makes it much easier to get the magas out easily once it is set.
Transfer the mixture to the tray and spread it evenly. Use a flat spatula to make it smooth on the top. Also, tap the baking tray on the counter a couple of times to get the mixture to spread evenly.
Garnish with thinly sliced almonds and pistachios.
Allow the magas to settle for 2-3 hours. Depending on the weather, this can also take 4-6 hours or overnight.
If you’re making ladoo, 20-30 minutes is enough cooling time to make the ladoo. Then, form into a ladoo with your palms. Take a little lemon-sized portion of the mixture and roll it between your palms to form a round ladoo.
When the magas has set, cut into squares or diamond shapes. Use a shark knife to cut.
Remove each piece gently so that they do not break. Serve it immediately or store it in an airtight container. Enjoy!
Tips to Make Perfect Magas Recipe
Besan Flour: It is best to use coarse magas flour for this recipe. However, if you can’t find it, use regular besan and follow the initial step of Dhrabo to mix besan with milk and ghee, then sieve through a medium-hole strainer. Do not use a fine strainer, as otherwise you will not get the perfect texture similar to cornmeal, which is a requirement for perfect Magas. Roasting: Avoid roasting the besan flour on high heat. The flour will burn and have a bad flavor. Roast the flour on low-medium heat until it turns brown, not yellow. If you don’t roast it thoroughly, you’ll get a raw taste from the flour. Roasting the gram flour is a bit of a hand workout. But don’t stop stirring, as otherwise, the flour can burn. Do not skimp on ghee: If you reduce the amount of ghee used, the magas may not set properly, or you will be unable to form them into balls or set them into pieces. But do not add too much. Cutting: Make sure to use a sharp knife to cut the set magas. Storing: You can store Magas at room temperature for approximately 2-3 weeks. In warmer weather, though, it is advisable to put it in the fridge after a week or so. Pro tip: Microwave it for 10 seconds while eating it, and it will taste incredibly fresh and tasty. Half the recipe: I have tried 1/2 and 1/3 quantity of this recipe too. It works well; the only thing that will change is the roasting time and cooling time for besan. e.g. for 1 cup of gram flour, the roasting time is about 15-17 minutes, and for 3 cups of flour, it will take about 25 minutes to roast perfectly. For 1 cup gram flour, cool for about 5 minutes before adding sugar, and for 3 cups, cool for about 8-10 minutes.
Common Questions
I hope you enjoy this delicious sweet this Diwali.
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