Badam Burfi/ Almond Burfi

 Don't get alarmed by the uninteresting photo that I have captured. It was wee last minute that I thought of sharing the recipe with my readers. I was only left with some so I didn't bother to present it in a nicer way. Sorry.. I guarantee you the taste of this sweet is fantabulous. It is an addictive kind of an Indian sweet. If you like almonds, you will love this...This is a simple recipe which does not require you to check for sugar string consistency. It is sweet, fudgy, soft and melts in your mouth..

Badam Burfi/ Almond Burfi

INGREDIENTS: 

Raw almonds -  1 cup

Fresh milk - 1/2 cup

Brown sugar - 1 1/4 cup

Clarified butter - 7 to 8 tablespoons

Saffron - a pinch

METHOD:

1. First, soak the raw almond in one cup of hot water for few minutes. This way it will be easier to peel the skins.

2. Then, wash the peeled almond in water and put them in a blender with 1/2 cup milk. Grind it to smooth paste. 

3. In a heavy bottom pan, add the almond paste, brown sugar and a pinch of saffron.

4. Keep the flame as low as possible as you don't want the mixture to turn brown easily. The mixture will start becoming a bit watery as the sugar starts to dissolve.

5. Keep stirring continuously until the mixture is semi- thick, at this point you can keep adding the ghee little by little. The almond mixture will tend to absorb clarified butter easily. 

6. Keep stirring until the mixture has turn to a thick consistency that you can it coming together as a dough. if you take some and roll in your hand, that is the right stage to switch off the flame. 

7. Grease a tray with some clarified butter and pour the mixture into the tray.

8. Smoothen the surface with a spatula or any flat bottom of a stainless steel container. This will give an even, non-cracking surface.

9. Let the sweet cool slightly, start cutting into any desirable sizes using a pizza cutter.

7. Separate the pieces and keep them in a stainless steel container in the fridge.

 

Thank you

Abby 

Mung bean flour, Cashew nuts and Clarified butter SWEET Balls (Nei Urundai)

Mung bean flour, Cashew nuts and Clarified butter SWEET Balls (Nei Urundai)

We made Nei Urundai for Diwali, and it was delicious with the nice nutty smell of homemade clarified butter and bits and pieces of cashew nuts here and there. The sweetness of the balls are just nice for us as we don't have sweet tooth. The process of making this sweet balls is as easy as ABC. The only thing that I would emphasis is that please roast your store bought Mung Bean flour though it's stated roasted in the packet. The raw smell of the flour will never give you that impeccable divine aftertaste. I strongly suggest that you should never substitute cashew nuts with other nuts because Mung Bean and cashews are marriage made in heaven. They work magic in the sweet balls. My elaboration will raise the eyebrows of many, doubting the result of this too simple ingriedients based sweet. But, don't judge a book by it's cover, give a try. The only trouble you may face is while clumping the flour mixture into balls, and that's why the clarified butter has to be heated until it's hot enough. Practice makes a man perfect is well-said. Good Luck!!

INGREDIENTS: 

Green Mung Bean flour - 2 cups

Homemade clarified butter or Ghee - as needed to bind into balls

Organic brown sugar - 1 cup

Roasted cashew nuts pieces - a few

METHOD:

1. Here I am using store bought Mung Bean flour(BABAS brand). Although it is stated roasted in the packet, I kept the flame on low and started roasting it for a good 20 minutes to reduce the raw smell from the flour. This step is crucial.

2. Take 1 cup of sugar and powdered it fine. Mix the roasted Mung Bean flour and powdered sugar in a wide bowl. 

3. I am using homemade clarified butter which has been made into this form using Emborg Salted Butter. You can also opt for store bought ghee which is readily available in any Indian grocery.  Remember to heat the clarified butter until it is hot enough, but need not be boiling. Just heat it up until it's hot. In the same ghee, fry chopped cashew nut bits until golden brown. 

4. Pour this ghee along with the cashew pieces slowly into the flour sugar mixture. Keep mixing it with your hand, and try to clump or press it together into balls using one hand. I can't give you precise measurement for the ghee, but the thumb rule is to pour ghee little by little, along with the the process of clumping it into balls. If you pour a lot of ghee at one time, then it will become soggy and watery.  

4. The balls are then kept in an air-tight container at room temperature for a week time. 

Thank you

Abby

Sweet Dessert with Bottle Gourd (Bottle Gourd Halwa)

 

Sweet Dessert with Bottle Gourd (Bottle Gourd Halwa)

INGREDIENTS: 

Full cream milk powder - 3/4 cup

Fresh milk - 1 1/2 cup

Finely grated fresh young bottle gourd - 3 cups tightly packed

Brown sugar - 3 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons

Saffron - a small pinch

Cardamom - 4 pods

Chopped nuts - 2 tablespoons (optional)

Clarified butter or ghee - 5 tablespoons

METHOD:

1. First, rinse, peel and grate bottle gourd finely. Before you cook, taste the bottle gourd, if it has sour or bitter taste, discard it and don't cook it. Sour bottle gourd will curdle the milk and bitter bottle gourd will toxify your body. Always choose freshly harvested young bottle gourd and taste it before using.

2. In a heavy pan, add 4 tablespoons of ghee, after it has become warm, add grated bottle gourd. Using medium flame, keep stirring until all the moisture from the bottle gourd has evaporated. You have to cook bottle gourd in ghee until you don't taste the raw smell of the vegetable and also it has soften to perfection. This stage is crucial and don't take any short cut. It took me approximately 15 - 20 minutes. 

3. While frying the bottle gourd, I use another heavy deep bottom pan to cook the fresh milk, cardamom pods, saffron and I diluted 3/4 cup of full cream milk powder for extra richness and creaminess. I used low flame and continuously stirring the milk because I didn't want the milk to have any burnt taste at the bottom. I did the sautéing and boiling of milk simultaneously. The milk has to thicken and become half in quantity. 

4. So now, I have hot thickened milk and piping hot well-cooked bottle gourd. Now, pour the milk into the bottle gourd. Keeping both milk and bottle gourd hot is really necessary as to prevent the milk from curdling. 

5. Keep stirring the milk mixture on low flame until it thickens further and some moisture evaporates. 

6. Lastly, add the remaining 1 tablespoon of ghee and allow it to marry all the wonderful creamy flavor. The consistency of the halwa is slightly thick and it has to be eaten by spoon. 

7. Last step is optional. Scatter some silvered almonds and roughly chopped pistachio for extra goodness of nuttiness. 

8. Serve hot or cold. I like the combination of chocolate ice cream, potato chips and this halwa. It's a weird combo, but cocoa and salt work perfectly well as they cut down the creaminess of the halwa.

Thank you

Abby