Besan burfi

This is a South Asian treat, perfect little bite-sized sweets that remind me of toasted maple fudge - that's my Canadian description of it!

Credit: Anna's Occasions

• makes

  36

• prep

  30 minutes

• cook

  40 minutes

• difficulty

  Mid

This is best made with besan flour made from brown chickpeas for the silkiest result, but you can also use white chickpea flour. 

Ingredients

• 1 cup (225 g) ghee
• 2⅓ cups (270 g) besan flour (gram flour, from brown chickpeas) or white chickpea flour
• 2 tsp ground cardamom
• ½ cup (125 mL) coconut milk (tinned)
• 4-5 threads saffron (optional, for colour)
• ½ cup (125 ml) water
• 2 cups (400 g) granulated sugar
• ⅓ cup (30 g) chopped roasted cashews, to decorate
• ¼ cup (25 g) sweetened flaked coconut, to decorate

Chilling time: 2 hours

Instructions

1. Lightly grease and line a 23 cm (9 inch) square pan with parchment paper so that the paper comes up the sides.

2. Melt the ghee in a large sauté pan over medium heat and add the chickpea flour. Stir this steadily with a wooden spoon for about 25 minutes (you can step away here and there, but don’t go too far), until the mixture turns the colour of pale peanut butter – you may need to reduce the heat to medium-low so that the flour doesn’t colour too quickly. As the mixture cooks, it will change in texture from thick and crumbly to thin and smooth. Add the ground cardamom after the first 15 minutes.

3. Have the coconut milk on hand and if you wish to add colour, drop the saffron threads into it and let this sit. Once the chickpea flour is cooked, remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the coconut milk – it will tighten up, but that is expected.

4. In a medium saucepan over high heat bring the water and sugar to a full rolling boil without stirring. Boil the sugar until it reaches 117°C (242°F), about a minute from when it begins to boil, and then remove this from the heat.

5. Slowly pour the hot sugar into the chickpea mixture, while constantly whisking, until evenly combined. Pour this into the prepared pan and spread it into the corners. Sprinkle the top of the burfi with cashews and coconut, let cool to room temperature and then chill for at least 2 hours before slicing into small squares.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.

This is best made with besan flour made from brown chickpeas for the silkiest result, but you can also use white chickpea flour.