Magic Truffles by Sumant Sharma

Espresso Gianduja and Motichoor Truffle

Executive Pastry Chef, Musaafer Houston & New York City

Ayurvedic Inspiration & Concept

This preparation is an Ayurvedic-inspired confection that melds the philosophy of ancient Indian satvik sweets with contemporary pastry craft. At its heart lies motichoor, a sacred and sattvic preparation traditionally made from gram flour pearls gently soaked in saffron syrup. In Indian culinary tradition, motichoor represents celebration, nourishment, and purity of ingredients. Gram flour, saffron and ghee have long been valued in Ayurveda for their grounding and strengthening properties, supporting vitality and balance within the body.

This confection reflects my continuing exploration of reimagining Indian sweets through modern pastry techniques while honoring their Ayurvedic roots. This dessert balances traditional sattvic ingredients with contemporary textures and flavors. It offers both internal nourishment and multisensory delight, demonstrating how ancient wisdom can inspire innovative forms of indulgence in modern pastry.

Yield: 50

Motichoor – Black gram flour batter fried golden pearls soaked in saffron syrup, hand pressed to round balls.

Saffron Syrup

• 500 g granulated sugar
• 300 g water
• 0.4 g saffron strands soaked in 30 g warm water
• 1.5 g cardamom powder
• 10 g rose water Dabur

1. Combine the sugar and water in a pan and bring to a boil.
2. Add the soaked saffron and cook until it reaches a one-string consistency*.
3. Stir in the cardamom powder and rose water.

*This is a common method in Indian cooking for measuring the degree to which a sugar syrup has cooked. Dip a wooden spoon or silicone spatula into the syrup and allow it to cool slightly. Touch the cooled syrup with your index finger, then touch it to your thumb. When your thumb and index finger are gently pulled apart, a string or strings will form. “One-string consistency” means that one long string is formed. This is the high end of the thread stage/low end of the soft ball stage, around 230°F (110°F).

Golden Pearls

• 200 g besan (gram flour)
• 230 g water
• 0.5 g baking soda (optional)
• 0.3 g saffron
• 500g clarified butter or oil for frying

1. Sift the besan into a mixing bowl.
2. Whisk the water in gradually to make a smooth, flowing batter (slightly thinner than pancake batter).
3. Add the baking soda, if using, and saffron to the batter
4. Heat the ghee to 302-338°F (160–170 °C).
5. Pour about 50 g of batter at a time over a fine, perforated ladle (jhar), gently tapping so that tiny droplets of batter fall into the hot ghee.
6. Fry for 40–50 seconds, stirring lightly. The golden pearls should be soft, not crisp.
7. Remove and drain; repeat for all batter.
8. Add all of the fried pearls into the hot Saffron Syrup and mix gently.
9. Cover and rest for 10 minutes so the syrup can fully absorb.

Espresso Gianduja and Activated Charcoal Ganache

• 120 g Valrhona Caramelia 36% Milk Chocolate
• 120 g Valrhona Milk Chocolate Hazelnut Gianduja 35%
• 60 g espresso
• 40 g heavy cream, 36% fat
• 3 g activated charcoal powder
• 5 g black maca powder, organic

1. Melt the chocolate and gianduja together.
2. Heat the cream and espresso together.
3. Blend the cream mixture into the chocolate using an immersion blender, along with the activated charcoal and maca powder.

Assembly

• Chocolate popping candy, as needed
• Halved hazelnuts, as needed
• Edible gold leaf, as needed
• Saffron threads, as needed

1. Using a 24-cavity mini semi-sphere mold, fill each semi-sphere with the gram flour pearls and freeze for 2 hours.
2. In a separate mold of the same size, fill each cavity with the charcoal ganache and insert half a hazelnut.
3. Unmold the semi-spheres of the Motichoor pearls and set one on top of each semi-sphere of ganache (still in the molds) to make a full sphere.
4. Freeze for 4 hours before demolding.
5. Press the ganache side of the spheres into the popping candy to adhere it.
6. Garnish with gold leaf and saffron threads.

Photos by Raydon Creative

(This recipe appeared in the Summer 32 issue of Pastry Arts Magazine)