Puffed rice cooked in a hot jaggery syrup and pressed into flat sheets then cut into bars — the most affordable sweet of Bihar, sold at every village fair and made at home for Makar Sankranti. Different from the Maharashtra chikki in using puffed rice instead of peanuts.
Ingredients
3 cups puffed rice (murmura — the light, crispy variety)
1 cup jaggery — grated
1/4 cup water
1 tsp ghee for greasing
a pinch of cardamom powder
a pinch of dry ginger powder (sonth)
Method
Measure and check the puffed rice: Spread 3 cups puffed rice on a tray and inspect. Remove any husks or unpopped grains. The puffed rice must be completely dry and crunchy — if even slightly soft, heat in a dry pan for 2 minutes on low heat to crisp up.
Grease a flat tray: Grease a flat tray, the back of a thali or a piece of marble generously with ghee. Also grease the back of a flat spoon or spatula. Everything must be ready before starting the syrup — the laai must be shaped within 1 to 2 minutes of cooking.
Make the jaggery syrup: Place grated jaggery and water in a wide heavy pan. Heat on medium stirring until jaggery dissolves. Bring to a boil.
Cook to hard crack: Cook the boiling syrup without stirring for 4 to 5 minutes until it reaches hard crack stage. Test: drop a tiny amount into a glass of cold water — it should immediately form a hard, brittle thread that snaps when bent. If it bends without snapping, cook for 1 to 2 more minutes.
Add cardamom and dry ginger: Remove from heat. Add cardamom powder and dry ginger powder. Stir briefly.
Add puffed rice immediately: Add all 3 cups of puffed rice to the syrup at once. Working rapidly, stir and fold with a spoon to coat every grain of puffed rice with the syrup. Work for only 20 to 30 seconds — the syrup begins to set fast.
Transfer to greased tray: Pour the mixture onto the greased tray immediately.
Press flat quickly: Using the greased back of a spoon or spatula, press the puffed rice mixture flat quickly and firmly to a 1.5 to 2 cm thickness. Work fast — the mixture hardens in 1 to 2 minutes.
Score while warm: After 1 minute, score into rectangles or squares with a sharp knife while still slightly pliable.
Cool and break: Let cool completely — about 10 minutes. Break along the scored lines. Each piece should be a firm, snap-crispy bar of jaggery-coated puffed rice. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks.
Note: Laai (also spelled lai) is made across Bihar, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh for Makar Sankranti in January and is sold at every village mela (fair) year-round. It is one of the cheapest and most accessible sweets — made from simple ingredients that every household keeps. The dry ginger (sonth) addition is a Bihar-specific flavouring that makes this version distinct from puffed rice sweets made in other states.