Oats’ Bars (chikki)

Ingredients

2 cup oats

1 ½ cup puffed rice (Murmure/mumra)

50 gm edible gond (gum accacia)

50 gm walnuts

50 gm almonds

50 cashew nuts

50 gm raisins

Few drops of vanilla essence

or

½ teaspoon cardamom powder

1 tablespoon ghee (clarified butter)

300 gm jaggery (gud) (Sugar can also be used in place of jaggery)

Method

Crush edible gond to small pieces.

Microwave all the gond pieces in microwave for 2 minutes.

Most of the gond pieces will pop up like pop corn.

Again microwave the remaining pieces of gond.

Grind them to powder. Keep them aside.

(gond pieces can also be fried in ghee)

Roast all the nuts in the microwave for 2 minutes. Crush them and keep them aside.

Heat 1 teaspoon ghee in a kadhai/wok.

Add oats and roast them in ghee for 4-5 minutes.  Keep them aside

Heat another teaspoon ghee in the kadhai/wok.

Now roast the puffed rice in this ghee for 4-5 minutes

In a bowl mix gond powder, crushed nuts, raisins, oats, puffed rice and vanilla(or cardamom powder) together.

Melt jaggery in a nonstick kadhai/wok over a slow flame(If using sugar then caramalise it over a slow flame).

Add the remaining ghee and mix it well.

Now add all the ingredients in it and mix it well.

Pour all the ingredients in a greased tray.

Spread it in the tray.  Press it with the help of spatula and smoothen its surface.

Cool it at the room temperature. It will take 2-3 hours.

Cut it with sharp knife or a pizza cutter to desired shapes and sizes.

Store it in an airtight container.

These bars taste good for 3-4 weeks.