Panjiri Energy Balls

These energy balls are a modern day version of a wonderful postpartum/recovery treat from the East Indian tradition. I was introduced to this Qi or energy building sweet by my mentor, Master Gladys after a Qi-gong healing treatment back in acupuncture school.   Since then, I have recommended it to patients and made them at home too.

Essentially, the combination of ghee, dried fruit, nuts and spices supports digestion, builds the blood and warms the body. It is great for anyone who is recovering from surgery, an illness or giving birth.

This recipe is modified from a more traditional version from

https://shwetainthekitchen.com/panjiri-recipe/

The first thing we will do is make ghee or clarified butter out of 1 stick of butter. Ghee is considered to be very tonifying and the cooking process removes impurities from the butter. It is a little bit of added work but totally worth the time involved. See below if you need step by directions for ghee

https://shwetainthekitchen.com/homemade-ghee-from-butter-how-to-make-ghee-at-home-indian-clarified-butter/

Step one is to melt the stick of butter in a sauce pan and stir constantly. Your burner should stay on a medium heat. You will notice that the milk fat will begin to bubble and cook out until the white portion of the butter is gone and you are left with a golden liquid with a saffron colored substance on the bottom. Take off the heat and gather your ingredients for the panjiri!

Here are your ingredients:

1 stick of organic butter→Ghee

½ cup walnuts and pumpkin seeds

½ cup Almonds

½ cup combined Cranberries, Golden raisins & Dates without pit, chopped 

½ cup almond flour or coconut and ½ cup whole wheat flour with wheat germ if desired (supports breast milk)

⅓ to ½ cup of organic Brown sugar to taste

Spices to include: 

2 tsp Ginger especially good for digestion and warmth

1 tsp Cardamom for gas and bloating

1 to 2 tsp Cinnamon is great for regulating blood sugar and warming the hands and feet

¼ to ½ tsp Clove aids in digestion and tonifies the kidneys

¼ to  ½ tsp Allspice is great for healing and inflammation

Heat the ghee and add the mixture of fruit and nuts until they are fragrant. Pull out the warm nuts/fruit & set aside but leave the majority of the ghee in the pan.

Then lower the pan to medium and prepare to make the whole wheat flour and almond flour. 

Cook the flours thoroughly & incorporate the ghee to make a sticky paste.

And add spices if ground to the mix.

Return to the Mix in the nuts, fruits and sweetener-for this batch i used dark brown sugar because it is cooler weather and it has a more tonifying nature.

I made this batch with ginger, cinnamon, clove and cardamom and a little salt. 

and blend in the food processor. 

Allow to cool and in a sauce pan mix in almond butter and maple syrup 1 tsp and heat until smooth.

Then blend the mixture with the melted almond butter and form balls. 

Put them on a lined cookie sheet and allow to cool in the fridge. Transfer to a sealed container and store for up to 7 days.

You can add coconut flakes before placing them in the fridge or a bit of semi-sweet chocolate if desired.

Enjoy!