Ah! It’s that time of the year, when women in most
households, would be discussing and planning what bhakshanams (Sweets and
Snacks) to prepare for Diwali.
Though Diwali is a festival of lights, it is known more for
its festive sweet and snack preparations. Talking of sweets, the person who immediately
comes to my mind is my grandfather. Yes! Believe me, he was the one who used to
prepare the sweets in my home until he was alive. He was an expert in making
all kinds of sweets. He was very well known for his Jangri, Badushah and Badam
Halwa.
A week before Diwali, preparations would start. My
grandfather would ask us grandchildren what we would like to have and from
there on, he would make a list of the required ingredients and ask my mom to
get it. And every day,(till the day before Diwali) after lunch, the kitchen
would turn into a mini (Halwai ki Dukaan), with my grandfather being the Master
Chef, grand mom would be his assistant and my mom though did not have to do
anything much, but still like an obliging DIL she would be close by waiting for
some sundry instructions.
After each sweet was made, my grandfather would first call
me and my brother and offer us his creation. And we would gladly gorge on the
yummy delicacies.
I was quite young then, and never bothered to find out how
these were made. My mother got some good tips from him. And I am learning from
my mom and MIL of course.
I am really a beginner when it comes to sweets. I hardly
prepare sweets and it’s only during this time of the year that I start
scratching my head as to what to prepare for Diwali. Making sweets, especially
burfis is rather tricky. You need to know exactly when to remove it from heat
and transfer the mixture into a plate. The first time, I ventured to make badam
cake, I got only Badam powder L.
Today I am sharing the recipe for a simple burfi, which is
quite easy to make and very delicious. I definitely want to update the post
with step wise pictures for the benefit of beginners. Maybe when I make it actually
for Diwali I will do that. So here is the recipe:
What you’ll need:
1.
Cashew nuts – 1 Cup
2.
Scraped Fresh Coconut – 1 Cup
3.
Sugar – 2 Cups
4.
Ghee/Clarified Butter – 2 Tbsp
5.
Milk – ¼ Cup
Method
1.
Warm the milk and soak the cashews in the milk
for half an hour. Grind the cashews with the milk into a smooth paste. Add the
scraped coconut and pulse it for a few seconds.
2.
Grease a plate and keep aside.
3.
Heat a heavy bottomed Kadai, add the cashew
coconut paste, sugar and ghee. Mix well. Keep stirring continuously on medium
flame.
4.
First stage – you will see bubbles forming on
the sides of the Kadai. Keep stirring.
5.
Second stage – you will see lots of bubbles
forming and the whole thing will start leaving the sides and start frothing up.
Keep stirring, we’re almost there.
6.
Final stage – The whole mixture will come
together and become a thick mass. Immediately, pour into a greased plate.
7.
Cool and cut into pieces when slightly warm.
Enjoy this yummy burfi with your family.
Note:
After transferring the
mixture onto a greased plate, wait for a few minutes and mark the lines with a
knife for the pieces. If you feel the mixture is slightly gooey and not yet
reached the burfi stage, put it back on heat and give it a stir for about 2 to
3 minutes.
Make sure you don’t keep it for too long, else the sweet may
turn crumbly and become powdery.
Linking this to Radhika's Diwali Special - Sweets and Savories, Anu's Diwali - Festival of Lights and Only Sweets hosted by Gayathri started by Pari and to Khushi's My Diwali My Way
Also linking it to Healing Foods - Coconut hosted by Sukanya started by Siri.
Also linking it to Healing Foods - Coconut hosted by Sukanya started by Siri.
