If you are looking for a little treat to gift your friends this festive season or looking for something to serve your guests after the festive meal, then give these quinoa mukhwas balls a try. These are made with toasted quinoa, gulkand, and dates and are super refreshing with a slight crunch and surprisingly addictive.
My paan coconut ladoos have been a reader favorite for many years. This year I wanted to make something similar yet different. The goal was to make a refreshing treat that you can enjoy post the festive meal, just like mukhwas. And that’s how I came up with these quinoa mukhwas balls.
You can toast the quinoa in the oven or in the pan (like I did). The toasted quinoa gives these balls a very nice crunch along with fennel seeds. I tested this recipe a few times and had to adjust the amount of quinoa and fennel before landing on the one that I think works best.
Toasting in oven: preheat oven to 350 F degrees and toast the quinoa for 16-17 minutes, shaking the tray once in between
The addition of gulkand (rose petal preserve), candied fennel and coconut flakes gives these balls a very refreshing flavor making them perfect to serve to your guests after a calorie dense meal. These will stay good at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 2-3 days. Keep them refrigerated for up to 5 days. They do taste best when consumed within 48 hours.
Let’s make these refreshing balls!
- Toast the quinoa first
You can do this step on the stovetop or in the oven. I did this on stovetop, stirring constantly on medium for around 7 minutes. You would hear some of them pop when they are toasted and it will also smell nutty at that point.
- Prep all the ingredients for the balls
Other than quinoa, the fennel needs to be toasted too though this one only needs to be toasted for 2-3 minutes until fragrant. Be careful, it burns quickly. Then gather everything you need to make the mukhwas balls. I chopped my pitted date so that it blends easily with everything else.
- Blend everything together
Pulse everything together using a food processor. The dates, gulkand, quinoa, fennel, candied fennel everything comes together is a sticky dough ball. Transfer that to a pan/plate to make the mukhwas balls.
- Shape into balls
Grease your hands with little oil and then roll the mixture into small mukhwas balls, and then roll into some desiccated coconut powder. I got 14 small balls from this mixture. Store them in an airtight container else they dry out quickly.
Quinoa Mukhwas Balls
Ingredients
- ½ cup quinoa, 90 grams
- ¼ cup fennel seeds, 30 grams
- 1 tablespoon candied fennel, 13 grams
- ½ cup coconut flakes, 30 grams , unsweetened
- 2 tablespoon gulkand, 48 grams
- 5-6 medjool dates, 75 grams , pitted & chopped
- desiccated coconut powder, to roll
Instructions
- To a pan on medium heat, add ½ cup quinoa (raw). Toast in, stirring constantly for around 6 to 7 minutes until you get a nutty smell. Some quinoa will also pop at this point. Remove it on a plate.
- To the same pan, now add ¼ cup fennel seeds, stir and toast them for around 2 to 3 minutes until fragrant. Remove them on the same plate.
- On the same plate, now gather all the other ingredients- 1 tablespoon candied fennel, ½ cup coconut flakes, 2 tablespoons gulkand and 5-6 dates (chopped). Add everything to a food processor and pulse until everything comes together.
- Transfer the sticky dough to a plate and grease your hands with lightly with oil. Take small portion of the dough and then roll it between your palms to form a ball. Roll the balls into desiccated coconut powder. Make all quinoa mukhwas balls similarly.
- Store them in an airtight container for 2-3 days at room temperature.
Notes
- I have used 2 different types of coconut in the recipe- the coconut flakes and desiccated coconut powder for rolling. If you cannot find coconut flakes, you can simply use desiccated coconut powder at both places.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
