Sesame and jaggery cooked together into a thick, slightly grainy slab that is harder and more dense than the thin til papdi — the Meerut version of gajak that is cut into thick rectangles and has a more substantial bite. Sold at every shop in Meerut and throughout western UP from November through February.
Ingredients
2 cups white sesame seeds — dry roasted until golden
1 cup jaggery — grated
2 tbsp water
1/4 tsp dry ginger powder
a pinch of black pepper
1 tsp ghee for greasing
Method
Dry roast sesame: Roast in a heavy pan on medium-low for 4 minutes until golden and fragrant. Cool in a wide plate.
Grease a tray: Grease a baking tray or marble slab generously with ghee.
Make jaggery syrup: Melt jaggery with 2 tbsp water in a heavy pot on medium heat until dissolved and boiling.
Cook to hard crack: Continue boiling without stirring until the syrup reaches hard crack stage (149 to 154°C) — a drop in cold water forms a brittle, glassy thread. The Meerut gajak uses a higher-temperature syrup than the thin papdi — producing the characteristic thicker, harder slab.
Add dry ginger and black pepper: Add dry ginger powder and black pepper to the syrup immediately. Stir.
Add roasted sesame: Add all the roasted sesame seeds to the hot syrup. Stir vigorously and quickly for 10 seconds to coat all seeds.
Pour onto greased tray: Pour the sesame-jaggery mixture immediately onto the greased surface.
Press thick: Using a greased spatula or the back of a greased spoon, press the mixture into a rectangle about 1.5 to 2 cm thick. The Meerut gajak is thicker than papdi.
Score into rectangles while warm: Score into rectangular pieces about 3 x 5 cm with a sharp, greased knife.
Cool completely: Allow to cool until rock hard. Break along score lines. Store in an airtight tin.
Note: Meerut Gajak is one of the most well-known winter sweets of western UP — Meerut city in Hapur-Meerut belt of western UP has been producing gajak commercially since the early 20th century. The Meerut gajak has a harder, thicker texture than the Rajasthani til papdi and is specifically associated with the Christmas-Makar Sankranti winter period. Meerut is also known for its scissors (kasaab) and sports goods industry, but the gajak of Meerut is its most edible claim to fame.