Chikki

Method

1. 1 Toast the puffed rice in a dry pan for 2 minutes until the grains are crispy, then set aside.
2. 2 Roast peanuts and sesame seeds, then rub off the skins from half of the peanuts and coarsely grind them.
3. 3 Cook the palm sugar with ghee until a drop dropped into cold water is crisp and clear.
4. 4 The rice base is light and hollow, so the candy is spongy rather than hard like pure peanut candy.
5. 5 Mix puffed rice, peanuts, and sesame seeds into hot honey and stir quickly for 15 seconds.
6. 6 Press the mixture into a 1.5 cm thick tray and cut into strips while still warm.

With an appliance

• Microwave 26 min

  Replace step 3: toss the palm sugar and ghee in a heat-resistant saucepan at 800 W for about 3 minutes, then in 15-second increments to 150 degrees; achieve crispiness faster in about 4 minutes and do not stir, so reduce the amount of sugar. Mix the puffed rice, peanuts, and sesame seeds from step 5 for another 15 seconds, then cut while still warm so the mass doesn't harden before shaping.