Diwali faral with cow ghee: five sweets worth the ghee
4 min read
Faral is the Diwali plate: ladoo, shankarpali, karanji, anarse and chakli, made days ahead and shared with everyone who visits. These five lean on ghee more than any other. It roasts the besan and the rava, shortens the dough, and in anarse it is the frying fat itself. Each one has its own page with our steps and a video by the cook who made it.
Besan ladoo and rava ladoo
Both start with a slow roast in ghee on low heat. Besan ladoo is ready when the besan turns golden and smells of nuts; rava ladoo when the rava is toasted but still pale. Rush the roast and the ladoo tastes raw.
Besan ladoo is set with powdered sugar once the besan has cooled. Rava ladoo is set with a one-string sugar syrup and fresh coconut, and needs an hour or two before it can be shaped.
Shankarpali and karanji
Here the ghee goes into the dough. Warm ghee rubbed into the flour (the moyan) is what makes shankarpali khuskhushit and a karanji shell flaky. Fry both on medium-low: too hot, and they brown before they crisp.
Anarse
The slowest faral: rice soaked for three days, ground, mixed with jaggery and left to rest, then pressed onto poppy seeds and fried in ghee, poppy side up and never flipped. Families who make anarse plan the week around it.
Making ahead
Cool everything completely before it goes into a tin, and keep the tins airtight and away from heat. Fried faral and ladoo made with well-roasted ghee keep through the festival.
Common questions
Cow ghee or buffalo ghee for Diwali sweets?
Either works. Cow ghee is lighter and more fragrant, so many cooks use it for ladoo where the ghee is the taste. Buffalo ghee is richer and heavier. Our cow vs buffalo ghee guide compares them.
Can I fry faral in oil instead of ghee?
Shankarpali and karanji are often fried in oil, with ghee in the dough. Anarse is traditionally fried in ghee, and the ladoo here are roasted in it.
Whose recipes are these?
The steps are our own, written short. Each recipe page plays a video by the cook who made that dish, with their name and a link to their channel.