The Ultimate Guide to The Wide, Wide World of Barfi
A sweet known for its versatility since antiquity, hands down, it would have to be Barfi. Pronounced as “Buhr-fee”, one can’t help but snicker or gag a little if you don’t say it right. All said and done though, what matters most is taste and texture, and barfi does not let you down on either.
On a sweets’ spectrum, if a decadent cake is at one end, wrapped candy on the other, then barfi is somewhere in the middle.
An exquisite condensed milk sweet, it originates from the Great Indian Peninsula. Barfi derives its name from the Indian (originally Persian) word barf, which means snow.
Barfis are available in various color and flavor variations. One thing in common — they all have an amazingly smooth mouth feel.
‘Vark’, a thin layer of the safe-to-eat golden or silvery leaf, is sometimes applied to a barfi. Both formal and casual occasions serve it with equal earnestness. In almost every Indian festival, barfi finds a prominent place in Puja (worship) or Bhog (feast).
All glad tidings are celebrated with barfis, whether it’s a newborn baby or a good exam result.
The passing of sweets like barfis around is believed to make an event ten times more auspicious. Amidst the unparalleled Indian smorgasbord of sweets, barfi dominates in its ubiquity.
Your sweet tooth will get overwhelmed by the choice of barfis available today.
It might be easier to compare barfi to fudge as they share similar attributes. And to a greater extent that is quite accurate, given the protean nature of fudge. There are endless possibilities when it comes to inventing barfi, much like fudge.
And the two also have a double entendre. As a dessert connoisseur myself, I see quite a poetic coincidence.
Here are a few of my all-time favorite barfi recipes.
Kaju Katli — A classic North Indian barfi made up of cashew nuts, sugar, and cardamom.
Ingredients of Kaju Katli:
250 gm cashew nuts;
250 gm sugar;
240 gm milk
A few silver leaflets for presentation. (Optional)
A greased plate for setting the Kaju Katli on.
(For Badaam ki Barfi, swap cashew nuts for almonds (blanched & peeled))
Making of Kaju Katli:
Blend cashews and milk until smooth.
Over a slow flame, stir the cashew blend and sugar until the sugar dissolves, then bring it to a boil.
Stir over medium heat until the mixture leaves the sides of the pan and becomes a doughy paste.
Turn down the heat. Roll it with a greased rolling pin when it’s cool enough to handle (be mindful not to let it cool completely).
Roll to a thickness of about 1/4" or 1/8".
Cover with the silver leaflet and let it cool, then cut into diamond shapes.
Your Kaju Katli is ready to serve.
Anjeer Ki Barfi — A robust cardamom-flavored dessert made from dried figs and nuts.
Ingredients of Anjeer Ki Barfi:
1 cup anjeer (dried figs)
2 tbsp. khus-khus (poppy seeds)
20–22 cashew nuts
1 tsp. ghee (clarified butter)
½ cup condensed milk
½ tsp. cardamom powder
Making of Anjeer Ki Barfi:
For at least two hours, soak 1 cup of dried figs in water.
Grind it to a paste after soaking it and set it aside.
Make a powder after dry roasting khus-khus and cashew nuts until lightly golden.
In a nonstick pan, melt ghee and add anjeer paste.
Then mix in the condensed milk and the cardamom powder.
Add cashew nut powder and mix well on low heat for better results.
Mix it until it reaches the consistency of a sticky paste
Spread it out evenly on a sheet of butter paper.
Put khus-khus over it and roll it with the butter paper.
Allow it to cool for about 30 minutes in the refrigerator.
Slice the roll into quarter-inch cubes after refrigeration.
You can now enjoy your Anjeer Ki Barfi.
Khajur Ki Barfi — A delectable date and tree nut dessert flavored with coconut and cardamom.
Ingredients of Khajur Ki Barfi:
30 seedless dates (about 2 cups)
½ cup almonds
½ cup cashews
¼ cup desiccated coconut powder
½ cup pistachios
2 tablespoon ghee (clarified butter)
1 teaspoon cardamom powder
2 tablespoons poppy seeds khus-khus.
(Add apricots, walnuts, and cuddapah almonds (chironji) to make it more delicious.)
Making of a Khajur Ki Barfi:
First, de-seed the dates, and then chop them roughly with almond, cashew, and pistachio nuts.
Prepare poppy seeds by roasting them dry.
Heat ghee in a nonstick pan on medium-low heat.
Add chopped dry fruits to the melted butter and stir at frequent intervals for 2–3 minutes. In this way, the dried fruits will gain a crunchy texture.
To this, add coconut powder, cardamom powder, and diced dates.
Sauté for another 2–3 minutes after mixing well. Let the mixture cool for 2–3 minutes after turning off the flame.
Using both hands, form a cylindrical shape when the mixture is cool enough to touch.
Sprinkle the whole log of the mixture with roasted poppy seeds.
Put a tight wrap around this rolled barfi with a cling film and set it aside for an hour in the refrigerator.
Once the barfi log is set for an hour, remove it from the refrigerator. Slice it into half-inch thick pieces.
Serve the Khajur Ki Barfi with great pride and pleasure.
Kalakand: A delightful, sweet, creamy cheese dessert flavored with cardamom & topped with pistachios.
Ingredients of Kalakand:
3-liter full-fat milk
1 cup sugar
2 tbsp. water
2 tsp. lemon juice
¼ tsp. cardamom powder / elaichi powder
2 tsp. pistachios (chopped)
Making of Kalakand :
Cook the milk in a heavy-bottomed pot over a medium flame, stirring intermittently until it boils and reduces in half. Keep stirring until it reaches a thick consistency.
In a cup, mix two tablespoons of water with two tablespoons of lemon juice. On a low flame, pour the lemon water into the milk. Without stirring, let it simmer for two minutes.
Gently stir the milk after two minutes and allow it to curdle.
Add 1 cup of sugar and stir constantly until it dissolves
Increase the flame gradually until the milk becomes more solid, turns golden, and separates from the pan.
Sprinkle the cardamom powder over the mixture and stir well. Allow the mixture to cool at room temperature in a greased container.
Remove the kalakand cake from the container once it has cooled completely. Slice it into small pieces and sprinkle with chopped pistachios.
Your creamy Kalakand is ready to be relished.
Orange Barfi: A zesty barfi made of orange pulp, mawa, and flavored with cardamom.
Ingredients of Orange Barfi:
1 cup orange pulp
1 cup mawa (evaporated milk solids)
1 cup raw ash gourd (grated)
2 tsp. milk powder
2 tsp. ghee (clarified butter)
2 tbsp. sugar
1 tsp orange zest
Few Kesar strands (soaked in a tablespoonful of milk)
Making of Orange Barfi:
Cook orange pulp and sugar in a saucepan until moisture evaporates.
Add ghee and ash-gourd grated to another pan and cook until wetness dissipates.
Cook the mawa crumbles, sugar, milk powder, and saffron milk until they are mixed.
Mix both the orange pulp and mawa ash-gourd concoction well.
Add orange zest and cook until it starts to bubble up.
Set the orange barfi mixture in the refrigerator to cool, then cut it into the desired shape.
You can now enjoy the zingy Orange Barfi.
For me, barfis are a comfort food because they are what I grew up eating.
As my buddy Farookh Thampi once put it, “Life is like a box of barfis. If you want a chai & some beedis, you should spot me a few bucks”.
