Mukhwas | Indian mouth freshener | candied fennel

Mukhwas is a easy and tasty after meal snack which is usually used a mouth freshener and helps with digestion after a meal. Mukh means mouth and was means smell in Sanskrit. Mukhwas itself can be made various different spices like coriander, coconut or anise. Fennel seeds are my favourite. The packaged versions of mukhwas have a smooth texture and come in lots of different colours (see a picture here). However, I'm a bit wary of these as you don't really know what kind of preservatives have been added or what colourings! Candied fennel is actually very easy to make and only requires three ingredients - fennel seeds, water and sugar. The ratio for making it is always 1:1:1 - so the recipe is very easy to scale up or down if necessary. 

Ingredients 

100g fennel seeds 
100g water 
100g sugar 

Method 
Time - 10-15 minutes

• In a saucepan, add the sugar and water. Turn the heat to medium and let the sugar dissolve. 
  
  
• Keep stirring until the mixture becomes syrupy and starts to bubble (takes around 3-5 minutes). 
  
  
• Add the fennel seeds and reduce the heat to low. The mixture will look quite wet initially. 
  
  
• Continue to stir and let the moisture evaporate and until the mixture starts to crystallize. This may take up to 10 minutes. Don't be tempted to increase the heat as it may burn the fennel seeds. 
  
  
• You will know when the mixture has crystallized when the mixture looks dry, when there is no moisture and when the fennel seeds have separated. This will happen very quickly - at one point there will be moisture and then a few seconds later the mixture will look dry. 
  
  
• When the fennel seeds have crystallized, spread them out evenly on a plate and let them cool down. When cool, add to a airtight container or jar. Enjoy a small teaspoonful after a meal to freshen your breath!