After the vegan paan cake, here is my next sweet recipe for this Deepavali season. It’s a traditional sweet recipe from Tirunelveli, prepared as neivediyam for Lord Murugan, especially for the Shasti festival. Thirubagam is a mix between halwa and mysore pak. The addition of edible camphor makes it divine and enhances the flavor multifold. It is an addictive sweet. `Give it a try. I did my undergrad studies in Kovilpatti, which is close to Tirunelveli. I have heard and enjoyed a few traditional recipes from Tirunelveli and Tuticorin region. But no, this was not one of the recipes that I relished. In 2019, when I was discussing traditional recipes, one of my Instagram friends mentioned this recipe, and I was curious and checked it right away and made it the same year. Initially, I tried making the thirupagam in the pressure cooker but was not happy with the results. Eventually, I ended up making it on the stove-top. I mainly followed these two YT videos (Video 1 and Video 2) but adjusted the sugar and ghee measure to my liking. It gets quickly done on the stove-top in less than 20 minutes. Once you understand when the sweet thickens and when to add ghee, this recipe is a breeze. This recipe has become my go-to Shashti prasadam these days. I have explained the procedure, including the timing, elaborately. Please don’t miss reading the instructions, including the recipe notes section. Now let’s get straight into the ingredients and details.
Ingredients
Besan/Kadalai maavu – Use good quality besan and make sure to sift the flour before making the recipe. I did not roast the besan and we didn’t find the raw taste of it. Sugar – I used regular raw sugar for this recipe. You can use brown sugar also. Milk – I went with whole milk. I did not boil separately. I just microwaved it for a few seconds and added the saffron strands. You can use whole or reduced-fat milk. Cashew powder – The key ingredient of thirupagam. I used whole cashews and pulsed them to make the powder. Ghee – I used my homemade ghee and melted it before using it in the recipe. Flavor enhancers: We need saffron strands, ground cardamom, and edible camphor(fenugreek size piece is enough). I wouldn’t recommend skipping any of them, especially the edible camphor, as it makes this sweet taste divine and heavenly. I am not exaggerating.
Ingredient proportion that I followed:
One measure of besan/kadalai maavu, cashew powder, and milk. Half the measure of ghee.¾ measure of sugar.
Dietary specifications and storing suggestions
This thirupagam is a vegetarian and gluten-free sweet dish. The sweet will thicken as it cools, but it should not become too hard. Make sure not to overcook. After cooling, it will be more like thick fudge/burfi. You don’t need to reheat the sweet. If you are finding it difficult to scoop, then reheat for a few seconds in the microwave. After preparing the sweet, instead of transferring it to a bowl, you can transfer it to a greased plate, and once it cools down, you can cut it like burfi. Store it in an air-tight container, and it stays good for one week at room temperature (~70 deg F), or you can refrigerate too.
Essential vessels/equipments
Use a heavy bottom pan; it could be either indolium or stainless steel, but use a heavy-bottomed one. Non-stick is also fine, but I have never made this in non-stick.A hand whisk is best for stirring the sweet in the initial stages.As it thickens, a silicone spatula works wells. In my opinion, a silicone spatula is your best friend when you are making sweets in stainless steel or indolium vessel.
Prep-work
Thirupagam recipe with step-wise pictures
Over medium-low heat, cook the besan-sugar-milk mixture. It will become frothy, and the besan mixture will be thin consistency, and that’s normal. The besan mix will froth up, and make sure to mix it continuously. After about 6 minutes, it will start to thicken. (Refer notes for the timing) Check these four pictures below for the different stages.
When it starts to thicken, start adding ghee. I added 1 tbsp of ghee every two minutes. Do not leave the thirupagam unattended. While adding the ghee for the second time, add the ground cardamom as well. Overall I added 3 tbsp from the ¼ cup of ghee.
Here is how the thirupagam looks after 8 minutes. (We have cooked thirupagam now for 14 minutes in total). The besan mixture will bubble up.
After about 8 to 10 minutes, add the cashew powder when the besan mixture further thickens and bubbles up. (In Tamil, we say porinchu varum bodu or poothu varum bodu) Add the remaining ghee.
Mix well and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Finally, add the edible camphor, mix well and turn off the heat. Do not overcook, as the sweet becomes hard when it cools down.
Grease a bowl with ghee, transfer the thirupagam to the bowl, and sprinkle some nuts and saffron strands. As it cools, the sweet will thicken.
Recipe notes
I have given the approx timing as to when to start adding the ghee. But depending upon the heat setting and vessel you use, it might be different. Start adding the ghee when the besan mixture thickens. And add the cashew powder when the besan mixture bubbles up and thickens further. You can’t leave the thirupagam unattended. You need to stir the sweet regularly.I have used a reduced amount of sugar and ghee, and this measure works perfectly fine. I have been using this measure for quite some time now. But you can increase the ghee measure to ⅓ cup and also sugar measure to 1 cup. Make sure to melt the ghee for this recipe. While cashew powder is a key ingredient in thirubagam, you can experiment with the same sweet with almond flour.Do not grind the cashews in one go as they clump up. Pulse them at regular intervals.I used pasteurized whole milk and I did not boil it separately. I microwaved it to a lukewarm temperature and added the saffron strands, and let it cool for a bit.
Explore other easy Diwali sweet recipes
Loved this recipe?
If you try this Tirunelveli special sweet – thirupagam, please don’t forget to comment and rate this recipe. If you have any questions, please leave a comment, and I will get to it ASAP. Make sure to follow me on my Pinterest or Instagram or join my Facebook Group for recipe updates and simple Indian meal ideas.
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