Besan Burfi (Sweet Gram Flour Squares)

Anu's Note:

Besan, also known as gram flour, is flour made from "channa" or yellow dried chickpeas. It is readily available in Indian and Asian markets.

• Total Time: 30 mins
• Prep Time: 5 mins
• Cook Time: 25 mins

Ingredients:

Yield: 20 squares ...

• 2 cups grated coconut or 2 cups desiccated coconut
• 1 cup gram flour ((besan))
• 3 cups sugar
• 3 tablespoons ghee or 3 tablespoons clarified butter
• 2 teaspoons cashews , crushed
• 1 cup water
• 1⁄3; teaspoon cardamom powder
• 1 pinch saffron

Directions:

1. Grease a shallow dish/pan with some ghee.
2. In a frying pan, heat 1 tablespoon of ghee and fry cashewnuts until golden; remove.
3. To the same ghee, gradually add the besan, stirring gently.
4. Fry on low heat until golden brown; remove and set aside.
5. Now in the same frying pan, heat 1 cup water and add sugar.
6. Boil on low heat until the sugar dissolves.
7. Increase flame and boil briskly until a thick syrup is obtained.
8. Add the dessicated coconut and fried besan.
9. Stir until the mixture solidifies and starts to leave the sides of the pan.
10. Add the rest of the ghee and saffron; mix well and allow to cook for a couple of minutes.
11. Remove from flame, add the nuts, cardamom powder and mix well.
12. Pour into the greased dish, and while still warm, cut into 1.5 inch squares.
13. Cool completely and store in an airtight tin.

Reviews

[love4culinary]

I'm giving this 4 stars because the flavor is absolutely wonderful. I cannot give 5 stars, because the directions are very unclear in my opinion. I wasnt sure how long to actually "boil" the sugar mixture until a thick syrup forms. I wasnt sure how thick it should be, because no time approximation was given at all. I wasnt sure what the consistency was suppose to be like when i removed it from the pan into the dish I greased, and I believe subsequently I ended up overcooking it, so when i put it into the greased dish, I had to press it into the dish, and when cutting right after, it became quite crumbly. It tastes fabulous, but Im sure it didnt come out exactly as it should have. If the directions were a bit more clear, Im sure I would have managed to get it correct the first time around. I will attempt this again, but would really appreciate some clarity :) Thanks for the recipe.