Peanut Brittle (Gajak)

Gur does two jobs in gajak. It binds the peanuts, and it gives the brittle its deep, caramel warmth, which white sugar cannot copy. The rolling matters just as much. A gajak sheet is worked thin, sometimes in layers, so the finished piece is crisp and light rather than a jaw-breaking slab. Bite a good piece and it cracks into shards. Bite a lazy one and you understand why people think gajak is hard work. It should never be hard work.

Peanuts are energy-dense and jaggery is sugar, so gajak is a rich sweet by any measure. That richness is the point of it in winter, when a small piece with hot tea genuinely warms a person up. Treat a piece or two as the portion. It is also worth saying plainly: this is a peanut product through and through, so it is not the sweet to serve where a peanut allergy is in the house.

Look for a sheet that is even, golden and loaded with peanut from edge to edge, not a jaggery slab with a polite scattering on top. It should smell of roasted peanut and gur, never of old oil. Keep it airtight and dry; brittle drinks humidity and goes leathery within days if the pack sits open. Stored properly it keeps its shatter for several weeks. Its closest relative here is peanut rewari, and the full winter range is in our sweet snacks collection and the price list.

What is gajak made of? Roasted peanuts and jaggery, with the sesame version made in the same style. The mixture is poured, rolled thin while hot, cooled until it sets, and broken into pieces.

Why is gajak only a winter sweet? Jaggery brittle softens and turns sticky in heat and humidity, so makers produce it in the cold months when it stays crisp. That seasonality is a quality sign, not a shortage.

WD Foods is the online store of Wahid Nimco, Quetta, since 1990. Order peanut gajak at Rs 1,400 a kilo, delivered across Pakistan in 3 to 5 business days, or pick it up on Masjid Road, open daily 9 AM to 10 PM.