Sunday, July 05, 2015

Pineapple Besan Burfi(Khadi)

Burfi in North India and Khadi in South India is a very popular sweet. A simple Burfi is mostly made with chickpea or refined all purpose flour as base. Ranging from a simple Milk Burfi or Besan Burfi to the rich Badam Burfi or Kaju Kathli, Indian sweet makers have made this sweet dish very popular the worldwide.

I have grown up eating the simple Kaju Burfi or Cashewnut Khadi as it is known in Mangalore, made by the local Mangalorean sweet makers. I remember, my father had a favourite sweet maker by name 'Mithai Venkatesh' who used to make excellent Mithai(Besan) Laddu, Saat, Maalpuri, Mysorepak and Khadi. I have seen him making such sweets at our home for my sister's wedding in 1964 may. Taj Mahal and Komal's were very famous for the excellent khadi they made in the Sixties and the Seventies adding pure ghee. Hanuman Sweets also had very good khadi and a special sweet Mohantal based on Besan Burfi. Eventually everyone started adding hydrogenated fat and spoiled the taste! The real taste of these burfis is well enjoyed when they are made with pure ghee.
Adding a good fruit to burfis is also in vogue since time immemorial. I have tasted Dates, Fig, Apricot and Mango in burfis. Some sweets contain artificial fruit flavours like orange, pineapple and strawberry. I tasted a similar Khadi at Hotel Indra Bhavan recently which had artificial pineapple flavour added to it. I had pineapple syrup in store, and thought of making something with natural fruit syrup, that is Pineapple Besan Burfi.

Found a very good recipe Chef Sanjeev Kapoor for Besan Ki Burfi. I followed that recipe but modified it to suit my need, and made this Pineapple Besan Burfi or Khadi. This tastes fantastic and just melts in your mouth and releases an array of flavours, and slight tanginess of pineapple within. 

Making sweets at home is fun when you follow our recipes and the easy steps within. Once you master this, you won't visit the nearest bakery or sweet shop anymore, for buying besan burfi at least!
Ingredients:
Chickpea Flour(Besan) - 1 cup
Pineapple Syrup(Fresh or commercially available one) - 1/4 Cup
Tiny Cashewnut Bits - 2 Tbsp
Powdered Sugar - 1/2 cup(Increase according to need)
Cardamom - 2 pods
Pure ghee 1/2 cup + for greasing

Method:
Peel the cardamom pods, crush the seeds.
Melt the ghee in a non-stick pan.
Add the chickpea flour and sauté on low heat, stirring continuously until it starts to change colour and a nice aroma emanates.
Add the cashewnut bits and keep the pan aside.
In another pan, heat pineapple syrup until it starts to bubble.
Switch off the flame or take the pan off the flame, add the roasted chickpea flour paste along with cashewnut bits, powdered sugar, crushed cardamom, and mix well.
Grease a 4"x8" straight-sided aluminum baking tray with ghee. 
Pour the gram flour mixture into the tray and spread it evenly with a greased spatula.
Allow to cool down for about 10 minutes and then cut into 1" squares with a sharp knife. 
Separate the pieces after they cool down completely and then store them in an airtight container. 
Pineapple Syrup:
Ingredients:
Pineapple bits - 2 cups
Sugar - 1 and 1/2 cups

Method:
Blend the pineapple bits in a mixer without adding water, filter through a sieve and extract the thick juice.
Transfer the juice and sugar into a thick bottomed pan, stir continuously on medium flame until a thick and one string syrup is formed.
Allow to cool down and store in a dry bottle in the refrigerator.

Note:
1. Don't forget to switch off the flame immediately after the pineapple syrup starts to boil, or else the roasted chickpea flour gets crumbled and the result will be Mysore Pak.
2. If the pineapple syrup is too thick and sticks to the pan, add little water while boiling it. Make sure that it is not too thin.
3. If you don't have a 4"x8" tray, you can vertically line a wider tray with thick cardboard pieces and design 4"x8" space within.
4. The thickness of these burfis will be exactly 1/2" and the total weight will be around 300 Gms.
5. The pineapple syrup prepared can be used for a number of recipes, such as a simple pineapple squash by adding 3 parts cold water to one part syrup.

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