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    "Home" » Desserts

    Guyanese Parsad

    Published: Mar 27, 2013 · Modified: Mar 25, 2023 by Althea Brown · This post may contain affiliate links · 15 Comments

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    Guyanese Parsad is made with parched flour, ghee or butter, milk, sugar, and spices. It is connected to all of my memories of my grandmother Evelyn. She was a Hindu and made sweets for every Hindu holiday and all of her poojahs or jhandis.

    parasad, pomegranate and dragon fruit on a gray plate

    The parsad at poojahs came in a brown paper bag that was always stained by the grease from the ghee. I have a very distinct memory of the contents of this greasy brown paper bag. There was parsad, ½ of a small banana, a piece of watermelon, some pomegranate seeds and other sweets. I can still taste that banana and watermelon with little bits of parsad stuck to it.

    What's in this post:

    Jump to:
    • What's in this post:
    • What is parsad?
    • Parching the flour with Ghee
    • Keeping it Simple
    • Printable Recipe Card

    What is parsad?

    For most Guyanese, parsad is simply this dish of flour cooked in ghee or butter. For most Indians Prasad is an offering made to a deity or God. And what I am making here with the the flour and ghee is called halwa, more specifically maida (all purpose flour) halwa. Some Hindus in Guyana also call this dish Mohanbhog as it is very similar to Bengali Mohan Bhog.

    Parching the flour with Ghee

    Steps for cooking parching flour in ghee
    1. Add flour to melted ghee or butter and mix until combined
    2. Keep stirring continuously until mixture is loose
    3. Continue to cook until mixture is slightly brown and begins the texture begins to change
    4. Cook, stirring constantly to prevent burning until mixture is brown and looks fluffy and a bit grainy but be careful not to burn the flour.

    Keeping it Simple

    I love good food but don't like complicated steps so to make my parsad I follow these simple steps:

    1. Add milk, spices, sugar and raisins to a sauce pan and bring it to a boil
    2. While the milk is heating up parch the flour
    3. Then add the hot milk to the parched flour and mix together.

    It is that easy (a bit messy, but still easy)!

    Printable Recipe Card

    parasad, pomegranate and dragon fruit on a gray plate

    Guyanese Parsad

    Guyanese Parsad is an Indian sweet made with parched flour, ghee, milk, sugar and spices.
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 5 mins
    Cook Time 25 mins
    Total Time 30 mins
    Course Snacks
    Cuisine Guyanese/Indian

    Ingredients
      

    • 2 cups All purpose flour sifted
    • 3 cups whole milk
    • ¾ cup granulated sugar may also use brown sugar or Demerara sugar
    • ¾ cup Ghee may also use butter
    • 1-2 Cinnamon sticks may substitute for ½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon
    • 2-4 Cardamom pods
    • ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
    • ¼ cup raisins rinsed

    Instructions
     

    • Combine milk, sugar, cinnamon, cardamom, vanilla extract and raisins in a small sauce pan and bring to a boil on medium heat, then reduce the heat to low once the milk starts to boil
    • While milk is coming to a boil, add a large saucepan to medium-high heat and bring up to temperature
    • Then add the ghee and allow to melt completely
    • When ghee is completely melted add the flour and mix together well, stirring constantly to prevent burning
    • Continue to cook the ghee and flour mixture for 5 to 8 minutes, stirring constantly, until it is light brown in color and a bit fluffy in texture
    • Then remove from the heat and immediately add the milk, spices and raisins mixture to the cooked (parched) flour and butter and mix until completely combined and smooth
    • Allow to cool then serve with some pomegranate seeds if you like.

    Notes

    When I first shared this recipe I shared my short cut way of dry toasting the flour instead of parching it with ghee. Here are the instructions for that method if you would like to try.
    Instructions
    1. Combine milk, sugar, ghee or butter, cardamom, cinnamon, vanilla extract and raisins in a small sauce pan and bring to a boil on medium heat
    2. While milk mixture is coming to a boil, add a pan to medium heat and bring up to temperature
    3. When pan is hot add flour and toast/parch (continuously stirring to avoid burning) until flour is light brown in color.
    4. Then add the milk and raisins mixture to the flour and mix until completely combined
    5. Next reduce heat to low and continue stirring mixture until thick and smooth
    6. Remove from heat and allow to cool before serving
    Keyword Halwa, mohanbhog, Parsad
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Gale says

      March 27, 2013 at 6:35 pm

      Maybe things have changed because I learned like 16 yrs ago. My cousin in law taught me. 1st u parch the flour then sieve it. 2nd melt the butter add the flour while stirring continuously. 3rd add sugar water to mixture (still stirring on fire) 4th add raisins and cherries and milk (optional). Finish lol. But u hv to average the cooking time to make sure its cooked thoroughly.

      Reply
      • Metemgee says

        March 27, 2013 at 8:21 pm

        This is how I used to make it. But the butter always made the flour clump up. So then I started putting it in the milk. Other recipes I saw online they add the flour to the pot of boiling milk and let it cook down. When I saw this my main concern was am I cooking this flour long enough? But I've made it several times and no one got sick, so...

        Reply
    2. Anisia says

      March 29, 2013 at 11:15 am

      Nice work Althee!!

      Reply
      • Metemgee says

        March 29, 2013 at 12:49 pm

        Thanks Girl 😀

        Reply
    3. Karen says

      July 03, 2013 at 7:06 pm

      Great proportions! Thanks! I made it with soy milk instead of whole milk and it was just as good!!

      Reply
      • Metemgee says

        July 15, 2013 at 7:07 pm

        Glad it came out great. Thanks for checking my blog out.

        Reply
    4. Jenelle says

      September 19, 2013 at 1:12 pm

      I use a sieve to sift the parched flour, pressing any lumps with the back of the spoon, then mix the flour into the milk (without the butter). The butte is then melted in the pot on low heat and the flour/milk mixture is added and turned until it forms the same consistency. With this process, no lumps have to be dealt with during the cooking process, and the buttery flavour is more pronounced!

      Reply
    5. Susan Bhamdeo says

      January 18, 2015 at 7:04 am

      Girl, I tried making parsad last week and it came out smooth and silky like sirnie. I don't like that. I will try your way. This looks easier. Thanks! 🙂

      Reply
    6. Debbie says

      March 20, 2017 at 1:00 pm

      Thank You for sharing 🤤🤤

      Reply
      • Altee Brown says

        March 28, 2017 at 3:40 pm

        You're welcome

        Reply
    7. Anna says

      October 29, 2020 at 12:36 pm

      I saw this on Instagram and made within a couple hours because it looked so good! I have never had it before, but I love it! My kids really like it too. Thank you!!

      Reply
    8. Allison says

      March 29, 2021 at 4:39 am

      I made parsad gluten, sugar and dairy free today for the first time thanks to your recipe (I used stevia instead of coconut sugar) and it was as perfect as it could be! Thanks so much for sharing these gluten free alternatives to our traditional recipes. Happy Phagwah!

      Reply
      • Althea Brown says

        March 30, 2021 at 4:40 pm

        Yay. Thank you so much for trying it and sharing. Yummy.

        Reply
    9. Britney says

      May 10, 2022 at 7:41 am

      I love this recipe so much! Question: could the milk be substituted for almond?

      Reply

    Trackbacks

    1. 1toronto says:
      January 12, 2022 at 4:34 pm

      3enforcement

      Reply

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    Hi, I'm Althea! I have a real passion for cooking, especially traditional Caribbean recipes with deep roots! I was born and raised in Georgetown, Guyana and now live in Denver, Colorado with my husband and 3 kids. I am a Whole30 Certified Coach and love sharing wholesome remixes to traditional Guyanese and Caribbean dishes.

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