1 teaspoon cardamom powder or 6 green cardamoms, powdered in mortar pestle
5 almonds- sliced or chopped
5 cashews- sliced or chopped
1 tablespoons magaz (melon seeds) - optional
some ghee for greasing pan
Instructions
preparation for besan barfi
Take all the ingredients - 2 cups besan, ½ cup desi ghee, 1 cup sugar, 5 almonds+5 cashews (chopped) and 1 tablespoon magaz (melon seeds).
Grease a pan or a tray very well with some ghee. You can also line a pan or tray with some butter paper or aluminium foil and then spread some ghee on the butter paper or foil.
frying besan to make besan ki barfi
Take ½ cup desi ghee in a heavy kadai and let it melt. Keep the flame to a low.
Once the ghee has melted, then add 2 cups besan in parts. Please use a heavy kadai, so that the besan roasts evenly. Also do not use a non stick pan as there is a lot of stirring involved.
When the first portion of besan is added, mix it with the ghee.
Then add the second part of besan. mix it again with the ghee.
Mix very well and continue to stir the besan non stop on a low flame.
Initially the ghee will be absorbed by the besan and you will see the mixture getting thicker.
Continue to stir and fry the besan in ghee.
The besan mixture will become like one whole lump of mass or you may see it getting thicker and granular. Continue to fry stirring very well. Scrape the mixture from the bottom when you stir.
After some minutes of stirring, you will see that the besan mixture starts to become molten and ghee will be released from the sides.
Continue to stir and fry besan till it starts having a nice nutty aroma and the color changes to a golden color. Stir non stop even after the ghee has released and till the besan gets roasted well and changes to a slight darker golden colour. The roasted besan aroma will be felt.
The mixture will become more molten as you continue to fry. Do not stop while stirring or else the besan will have uneven color.
Stirring non-stop, you will come to a stage where the besan will have a nice golden color and will have a good aroma. Its important to fry the besan very well or else you will get the raw taste of besan in the barfi.
Once the besan has roasted well keep the pan down.
Add 1 teaspoon cardamom powder and mix well.
preparing sugar syrup for besan barfi
In a sauce pan or in another pan, take 1 cup sugar and ½ cup water. Keep the pan on a stove top on a low-medium flame to medium flame.
With a spoon stir well, so that all the sugar dissolves.
Continue to cook the sugar syrup on a low-medium flame to medium flame.
The sugar syrup will start boiling and reducing. Keep a plate handy and test a few drops of the sugar syrup till you get a two thread consistency. After adding the few drops of sugar syrup on the plate, let it cool for some seconds and then check as the syrup is very hot and can burn your fingers.
You need to get a two thread consistency in the syrup. Even a 1 & ½ string consistency is fine.
making besan barfi
Once the sugar syrup reaches a 2 thread consistency, then quickly pour all the sugar syrup in the besan mixture.
Quickly and vigorously mix everything very well. You have to be quick and fast as the mixture begins to harden.
Mix fast and you will see the mixture thickening.
The mixture will also reduce.
The besan barfi mixture will leave the sides of the pan or kadai.
setting besan ki barfi
When mixed well, quickly pour the besan barfi mixture in the greased pan or tray.
Shake the pan and then with a spatula even the layer.
Sprinkle chopped almonds, cashews and melon seeds on top.
Press the nuts with the spatula so that they stick to the besan burfi.
Let it set till it becomes warm.
When still warm, slice the besan barfi in cubes or squares.
Store besan ki barfi in an air-tight container. No need to refrigerate. Besan barfi stays well at room temperature for about a week. Serve besan ki barfi as a sweet dessert after any indian meal.
Notes
If you don’t have the melon seeds (magaz), skip adding it.