Soan PapdiIngredients:1 1/4 cup Gram Glour1 1/4 cup Maida250 gms Ghee2 1/2 cups Sugar1 1/2 cup Water2 tbsp Milk1/2 tsp Cardamom seeds crushed coarsely4" squares cut from a thin polythene sheet

Preparation: 1. Sift both flours together. 2. Heat ghee in a heavy saucepan. Add flour mixture and roast on low till light golden. Keep aside to cool a little, stirring occasionally.3. Prepare syrup simultaneously. Make syrup out of sugar, water and milk. Bring syrup to 2 1/2 thread consistency. 4. Pour at once into the flour mixture. Beat well with a large fork till the mixture forms threadlike flakes. 5. Pour onto a greased surface or thali and roll to 1" thickness lightly. Sprinkle the elaichi and gently press down with palm.6. Cool, cut into 1" squares, wrap individually into square pieces of thin plastic sheet. Store in an airtight container.

KAJU BURFI RECIPE

Ingredients:• 3 cups Raw Cashew Nuts • 2 cups Water • 2 cups Sugar • Silver foilHow to make Kaju Burfi: • Grind the cashews to make a fine powder. • Next prepare a sugar syrup by combining water and sugar together in a pot and heating them. • Stir continuously until it has a 2-thread consistency. • Turn off the flame. • Dissolve cashew powder in the syrup. Make the solution thick. • Spread the solution on a greased plate and put silver foil on it. • Allow to cool and then cut it into pieces. • Kaju Burfi is ready.

Burfi/barfi is a common Indian sweet. It comes in scores of different varieties and flavours, sometimes made into 2-3 tiers of different flavours and colours. This is the original, traditional way of making burfi/barfi, using khoya or mawa 1 or khoya or mawa 2 condensed milk solid. This recipe is for making plain khoya burfi, with instructions on how to make other flavours. Burfies are quite easy to make so why not give them a try! Makes 20-25 pieces.

Ingredients

• For basic burfi/barfi: • 200 gm. Khoya or Mawa 1 / Khoya or Mawa 2. • 200 gm. sugar, can use less if desired. • Approximately 1 tbs. chopped pistachio for garnish (optional) • Chopped pistachios or almonds, optional • Edible silver leaves/varak optional (beaten silver leaves)-make sure they are vegetarian* • 100-125 ml. water • A metal or Pyrex tray, greased with a little ghee/clarified butter •

Instructions1. Mash or grate khoya. Cook it in a heated wok or karahi, until it becomes pink…ish in colour

and comes off the edges of the pan. Keep aside in a metal or heat proof bowl. 2. Bring water to boil add sugar and stir to dissolve. Boil briskly until 3 wire consistency is

obtained. 3. Pour over the mawa, mix quickly and turn out on to the greased tray. 4. Spread with a spatula, to approximately 2 cm. thickness. Even out with wetted fingers (to stop

sticking). 5. Sprinkle pistachio/almonds, if used, and press gently into the khoya. 6. Put silver sheets on top gently, covering most of the surface. These come with a paper

backing. You simply place each sheet on the burfi/barfi, silver side down and peel off the paper.

7. Cut burfies/barfies in diamond or square shapes when cool and store in an airtight box. 8. Chocolate burfi/barfi 9. Dissolve 3-4 tsp. cocoa powder in 1 tsp. of water or milk, before you start cooking. Keep it

aside, ready. 10.Cook as basic burfi/barfi recipe until step 3. Add chocolate to mawa/sugar syrup mix and mix

well. Make burfies/barfies in a tray, following step 4-7 of basic recipe. 11.Burfi/barfi with double or triple colours 12.Dissolve orange and green colours of Indian flag or other colours of choice) in a tiny amount

of water each, according to the instructions on packet/bottle and keep aside separately. 13.Follow up to step 3 of basic burfi/barfi and then divide the burfi/barfi mix in 3 portions. 14.Add 2 colours to 2 portions and keep 3rd one colour free. You can add flavours too, if you

want. 15.Spread one colour portion on a tray to a thickness of 0.5 cm. Then add the white layer and

then the third layer on top. You can choose any combination of colours and flavour. 16.Allow to cool and cut into shapes as before. 17.Almond burfi/barfi (also see Almond Burfi:

18.You need 100-150 gm. ground almonds (powder) for this. Cook as basic burfi/barfi until step 3.

19.Now add ground almonds and mix well. 20.Follow step 4-7 of basic recipe. 21.Pistachio burfi/barfi: 22.You will need 50-70 gm. finely chopped pistachio (unsalted). 23.Add to Khoya mix after step 3. Make burfi/barfi as in step 4-7. 24.Coconut burfi/barfi: 25.Dry fry approximately 500 gm. of desiccated coconuts or grated flesh of 2 coconuts. 26.Add to fried khoya and sugar mix at step 3 of basic burfi/barfi. 27.Follow step 4-7 of basic recipe. 28.Allow to cool and cut into diamond or square shapes. 29.Other varieties and flavours can be made using the same recipe.

Gram Flour or Chickpea Flour Burfi (Original)Besan ki Barfi

If you make this dish, send your pictures via the contact link above.

This is an old Indian fashioned sweet, one of my favourites. It was one of the most common home made burfi in the days of my childhood. Now a days, there are so many ready made burfi varieties available in Indian sweet shops that most people don’t bother making it at home. The best burfi should be set, but not rock hard. It is very simple to make yet tasty. Give it a try. It tastes a little bit like fudge.

Ingredients

• 250 gm. besan/chickpea flour • 250 gm. sugar • 175 gm. ghee or clarified butter • 100 ml. water • 15-16 blanched almonds, thinly sliced or chopped • 1 level tsp. green cardamom powder • A couple of varak or beaten silver sheets, available from Indian shops (optional). Remember

that silver is probably beaten between 2 layers of leather to make it thin, so it may not be suitable for vegetarians.

• A greased metal tray or flat thali (plate) • Grease a tray or flat thali with ghee and keep aside.

Instructions

1. Heat remaining ghee in a kadhai or wok. 2. Sieve/sift besan flour into the hot ghee and stir-fry on moderate heat, until it is light

orange...ish in colour, has the aroma of roast flour and the ghee separates. You have to stir it

almost continuously during frying. The mix looks light and fluffy when ready. This takes approximately 15 minutes. Add cardamom powder and half the almonds and stir them in.

3. Turn heat off and keep aside. 4. In another pan, boil water and sugar together, to make a syrup of one wire consistency. Turn

the heat off immediately. 5. Add syrup to besan, mix quickly and thoroughly. Be careful to stand a little away, the hot

syrup splashes easily and it is very hot causing deep burn. I usually wrap a thin towel around my hand.

6. Spread evenly on the tray and flatten with a wetted spatula. 7. Spread almonds as a garnish and then cover with silver sheets or varak on top. 8. Allow to cool. 9. When it begins to set, make diamond shaped cuts of 1 1/2-2 inch (3 1/2-5 cm.) size, before it

sets completely. 10.Allow to cool completely, cut squares apart and store in an airtight bo.

Rasmalai

In Hindi, the word 'ras' means juice and 'malai' means cream top or skin of the milk obtained from boiling it.

This one of the most popular after dinner desserts in India and Indian homes abroad. Just like Rasgullas, I have never found a recipe that makes them as good as the 'Mithai wallas', but this recipe gives acceptable results. Makes 8

Ingredients

• Fresh Paneer made from 2 liter milk (approximately 200-250 gm.) • 1 level tsp. (no more) white flour or maida • A large pinch of baking powder. This is roughly the amount that will fit in at the tip of a

teaspoon • 1 cup sugar • 3 cups water • 1 liter full cream milk for making ‘rabri’ (Indian condensed milk) or a tin of evaporated milk • 4 tbs. sugar or equivalent sweetener. Tinned milk will already have sugar. • 1 tsp. green cardamom seed powder • A few drops of rose essence • 5-6 almonds, blanched and thinly cut into slivers* • 1 tbs. blanched pistachios, thinly cut into slivers • *If you have a garlic slicer, it is really easy to make slivers of almonds and pistachios in it.

Just make sure it does not smell of garlic before you do this!

Instructions

1. Make paneer as follows: 2. Bring milk to boil. Turn heat down. While it is simmering, add juice of 1/2-1 lemon, a little at

a time, until milk curdles and whey is separated. 3. Place muslin on a collander and pour milk on top. Wash paneer with cold water to stop it

cooking further. Once most of the liquid has drained away. Tie the muslin around it and hang for 15 minutes. I do this by tying the muslin onto the overhanging sink tap. You do not need to press this paneer.

4. Place paneer, flour and baking powder in a food processor and blend until it forms a smooth paste. You can knead paneer by hand, until very smooth. Keep aside

5. Boil water and sugar in a pan, until sugar is dissolved. Turn the heat right down, just enough to keep it warm.

6. Make into a small walnut sized balls, flattening them a little, like a ‘peda’ or a small burger. 7. Slide gently into the simmering sugared water. Simmer for 10 minutes. If syrup begins to

thicken, add cold water. They roughly double in size. As soon as this happens, stop cooking further.

8. Meanwhile, condense 1 liter milk in a wok/karahi, by simmering it until reduced to half. You have to continue stirring it very frequently, otherwise it will catch. If you do not have time, use tinned evaporated milk.

9. Allow the milk to cool, add cardamoms/rose essence and sugar (if required) to the milk and mix.

10.Lift rasmalaies out of the syrup and add to the milk. Allow to chill for a few hours. 11.Serve garnished with slivers of almonds and pistachios.