Besan Barfee
Submitted by Din
Besan barfi made with toasted chickpea flour, cardamom, pistachios, and almonds. This traditional Indian sweet uses a one-thread sugar syrup for fudge-like texture.
YIELD
24 servingsPREP
10 minCOOK
25 minREADY
35 minBesan barfi is one of those Indian sweets that rewards patience and attention. Chickpea flour gets toasted in oil until it turns a shade darker and loses that raw, starchy taste. That toasting step is everything. Rush it and you’ll taste uncooked flour in every bite. Get it right and you get a deep, nutty warmth that sugar syrup alone can never deliver.
The syrup needs to reach one-thread consistency, an old technique where you pinch a drop between your fingers and a single sticky thread forms as you pull them apart. It takes about 20 minutes of gentle simmering. Too thin and the barfi won’t set. Too thick and it turns gritty.
Ground cardamom seeds go in with crushed pistachios and chopped almonds. Pour while still warm into a greased pan, tilt to spread evenly, and let it cool before cutting into small cubes.
Chef Tips
- Sift the chickpea flour before toasting. Lumps won’t break down during cooking and ruin the smooth texture.
- Stir constantly while frying the flour. It goes from perfectly toasted to burnt in seconds.
- Pour the hot syrup into the cooled flour, not the other way around. This prevents dangerous splattering.
- Wraps beautifully in foil and freezes well for months, making it a great make-ahead treat for Diwali or Eid.
Variations
- Add a pinch of saffron strands to the sugar syrup for color and floral aroma.
- Replace pistachios with cashews and top with edible silver leaf (vark) for a more festive presentation.
- Stir in 2 tablespoons of desiccated coconut for a besan-coconut barfi.
Ingredients
Directions
Sift the chick pea flour.
Heat oil in a heavy, 10-12” frying pan, wok or sauté pan over a medium flame.
Put in the sifted chick pea flour. Stir and fry 2 to 3 minutes until the flour turns a shade darker and is cooked it should taste fried, not raw.
Put the flour into a large bowl, stir at once and allow to cool.
Make a syrup with 1 cup/8 fl oz/¼ litre water and the 14 oz/1⅓ c/395 g.
Sugar by bringing the water-sugar combination to a boil and then simmering very gently for about 20 minutes or until the syrup reaches a one thread consistency.
To test this, dip in a wooden spoon and let coat slightly.
Pinch some syrup off the back of the spoon with two fingers and then try separating the fingers.
One sticky thread should form. This is the Indian method.
Pour the hot syrup in the cooled chick pea flour/gram flour mixture.
Add the ground cardamom seeds and the nuts and mix well.
Keep stirring until mixture begins to harden slightly.
It should still be pourable. Pour into a 9 inch square cake tin, tilt tin so barfee mixture flows to the edges and allow to cool.
Cut into ¾ inch cubes. besan barfee if tightly wrapped in aluminium foil and then placed in a plastic container, freezes very well.
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