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Learn Bhatia cooking

Kitchen skill 14 of 15

Sugar syrup

Ek tar, bha tar: one-string, two-string

Say it: hick-taar, buh-taar · Hindi: ek taar, do taar

Nearly all Bhatia sweets start from the same syrup, chasni, of sugar and water, boiled to a different thickness for each recipe. The thickness is measured in strings: ek tar is one string, bha tar two. The longer the syrup boils, the more strings it makes.

How to do it

  1. Heat the water, add the sugar and stir until it dissolves.
  2. Let it boil, stirring now and then.
  3. To test, lift a drop on a spoon and let it cool for a few seconds. Touch it between your finger and thumb, then pull them apart.
  4. Count the threads that form: one thread is ek tar, two is bha tar. Take the syrup off the heat as soon as it reaches the recipe’s number.

Which syrup for which sweet

1 string
Boondi, Gulab Jamun, Halwo, Kaju Katri, Khand Tikki, Mesu, Moong ji Dar jo Sheero, Tosha, Ambh ji Burfi
2 strings
Boondi ja Ladoo, Jallebi, Pista Pak, Santa
3 strings (very thick)
Mohanthal

You’ll know it’s right when

  • Clear, unbroken threads between finger and thumb.

Watch out for

  • Touching hot syrup: always let the test drop cool first.
  • Boiling past the string you need: the sweet sets too hard.
  • Letting it brown: syrup for a coating, as on Santa, should stay pale.

Practise it

On the path to learning Bhatia cooking.

MohanthalRoasted gram flour fudge (Mohan Thal)Stage 5: Sweets and festival foodBoondi ja LadooSweet gram flour dumpling ballsStage 5: Sweets and festival food

More recipes that use it 21

Ambh ji BurfiMango burfi (mango fudge)SweetsBoondiSweet gram flour dumplingsSweetsChandan and Gulab SharbatSandalwood and rose summer coolersKutchi & moreWorking recipeChikkiMixed nut pralineSweetsGulab JamunFried milk dumplings in sugar syrupSweetsHalwoCorn flour sweetmeat with nutsSweets
Show 15 more
JallebiSpiral flour rings in sugar syrupSweetsKaju KatriCashew fudgeSweetsKhand TikkiSugar ball candy (fried flour-and-sugar-syrup balls)SweetsLolaJaggery ball candy (fried jaggery-and-sesame flour balls)SweetsMesuGram flour fudge (porous, ghee-rich besan sweet)SweetsMithi SeyunSweet vermicelliSweetsMograay jo SharbatJasmine flower coolerChutneys, pickles & drinksMoong ji Dar jo SheeroSplit green gram lentil confection (moong dal halwa)SweetsPhulka Gulab Jamun PuddingPudding of phulka and gulab jamunBhatia FusionPista PakPistachio fudgeSweetsSantaDeep-fried flour cakes with sugar coatingSweetsTir ja LadooSesame seed and jaggery ballsSweetsTir ji ChikkiSesame seed and jaggery fudge (a variation of Tir ja Ladoo)SweetsToshaSweet flour rolls (spiced fried wheat balls in sugar syrup)SweetsTurranj jo MurraboCitron marmaladeChutneys, pickles & drinks