Making Sugar Syrup for Indian Desserts

Tablespoon filled with granulated sugar

knape / E+ / Getty Images

Prep: 5 mins
Cook: 10 mins
Total: 15 mins
Servings: 16 servings
Yield: 2 to 3 cups

Sugar syrup is used in a lot of Indian sweets and desserts in varying consistencies. Terms like one- or two-thread consistency are often used in connection with this syrup and can be very confusing. These terms are used only because the use of a candy-making thermometer is not common in Indian homes.

This simple yet very effective technique is used instead, to tell when the syrup is ready for a particular dessert.

Ingredients

  • 2 cups sugar

  • 1 cup water

  • 1/2 cup milk

Steps to Make It

  1. Mix the sugar and water in a heavy-bottomed pan and set up to boil, on a medium flame.

  2. When the sugar is all dissolved, add the milk to the syrup (the milk causes any impurities to surface and be removed) and allow to boil some more. A scum will be formed on the surface. Remove this by skimming the syrup with a spoon or straining it through a metal sieve.

  3. Put back to boil.

  4. Keep testing the syrup to check its consistency. To do this dip a wooden spatula in the syrup and lift out. Allow cooling for a few seconds as it will be very hot at first. Now touch the syrup with a clean forefinger and then touch your thumb and forefinger together and pull apart gently. Keep boiling the syrup gently till you reach the consistency called for in the recipe. Stages progress fairly quickly after a point, so check frequently.

  5. Half-thread consistency is when a single thread is formed and breaks immediately when your forefinger and your thumb are pulled apart gently.

  6. One-thread consistency is when a single thread is formed (and does not break) when your forefinger and your thumb are pulled apart gently.

  7. Two-thread consistency is when two threads are formed (and do not break) when your forefinger and your thumb are pulled apart gently. This stage is also called the soft ball stage—when a drop of syrup of this consistency is dropped into a bowl of cold water, it forms a soft ball.

  8. Three-thread consistency is when three threads are formed (and do not break) when your forefinger and your thumb are pulled apart gently. This stage is also called the hard ball stage—when a drop of syrup of this consistency is dropped into a bowl of cold water, it forms a hard ball.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
101 Calories
0g Fat
25g Carbs
0g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 16
Amount per serving
Calories 101
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 0g 0%
Saturated Fat 0g 0%
Cholesterol 1mg 0%
Sodium 4mg 0%
Total Carbohydrate 25g 9%
Dietary Fiber 0g 0%
Total Sugars 25g
Protein 0g
Vitamin C 0mg 0%
Calcium 10mg 1%
Iron 0mg 0%
Potassium 11mg 0%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)