Shop-Style Besan Barfi (melt in mouth!)

Say hello to my Besan Barfi that just melts in your mouth. In this Indian sweet, besan is roasted in ghee then sweetened with a sugar syrup. It has a smooth richness that you find in the best mithai shops, making it ideal for the festive season.

I'm just a little bit obsessed with besan-based mithai. From the unique taste of mohanthal, the softness of Gujarati magas to the nutty crumble of besan ladoo, every besan-based sweet has its own distinct texture and character.

With this recipe you'll get besan barfi with a rich, well roasted and "short" texture that melts away when bitten into, rather than stick to your mouth.

Just take a look at the gorgeous texture...

Ingredients highlights

Besan - you specifically need to use fine besan flour. Coarse flour is what's used to make magas.

Ghee - I like to use desi ghee or pure butter ghee for all of my barfi recipes. I have found that when I use homemade ghee, I need a little bit less than what the recipe asks for.

Sugar - I have used regular granulated white sugar.

Cardamom powder - it's classically added to most Indian sweet recipes. I like to use my own ground green cardamom powder.

Yellow food colouring - mithai shop or halwai style besan burfi has yellow food colour added to it. Either use egg yellow food colouring or a small pinch of turmeric powder.

Garnish - I like to use slivered nuts. Here I've used pistachio but cashew nuts and almonds work too.

How to make perfect Besan Burfi

You will need a heavy bottom pan, a good spatula, continuous hand work and lots of patience!

Remember that you are making this Indian sweet for a special day, so it is worth taking your time and effort.

Besan Barfi made in two steps. The first step is to roast the besan and the second step is to make correct string consistency sugar syrup.

Roasting the flour

Heat ghee in a heavy bottomed pan on a low flame and add the besan flour.

Roast the besan in the ghee on a low flame. The mixture will transform every minute but trust the process! Keep the flame low and keep stirring - this is the most important step.

First besan and ghee mixture will be quite lumpy and thick.

You might think ghee is less, but once the besan roasts, the moisture will evaporate, and ghee will appear on the surface and the besan mixture will become runny and frothy. It will then be easier to mix as it loosens up.

Continue to roast on lowest heat until the raw smell of the flour disappears, and you get a nice nutty aroma.

You'll see that flour changes into a nice golden colour and it transforms to an almost pourable consistency.

At this stage, turn off the flame.

Remove the pan from the heat and allow the mixture to slightly cool at room temperature. In between, keep stirring the mixture so it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan/kadai.

Add a teaspoon cardamom powder and the food colouring and stir well. You may think that the food colouring is not having any effect but once we add the sugar syrup, the mixture will look yellow.

Sugar Syrup

The sugar syrup consistency is also an important part of making besan barfi. Too thick and the barfi will be hard and crumbly, too thin and it can get chewy and sticky.

The ratio of sugar and water should be 1:0.5 (1 cup sugar: ½ cup water)

In a pan or kadai mix sugar and water. Cook the syrup on medium heat until sugar dissolves.

Once the sugar melts, the sugar syrup thickens quite fast and becomes sticky.

Keep the heat on low-medium flame and check the syrup's thread consistency. We will need single thread or one thread sugar syrup.

Check the thread consistency by placing a drop of sugar syrup between your thumb and index finger and slowly pull your fingers apart – we are looking for a 1 string/thread consistency.

When you do this step, make sure you turn down the heat totally or else the sugar syrup will continue to thicken.

If you cannot make a thread, keep on cooking the syrup. If you see more than one thread, add a splash of water to thin it out and repeat the process.

Whilst the two mixtures are still warm, pour the hot sugar syrup into the besan mixture and stir until you achieve a smooth besan barfi mixture.

Pour out the barfi mixture into a tin that is lined with parchment paper / butter paper. You can also prepare a greased tray that is brushed with oil or ghee.

Sprinkle pistachios and other nuts on top and press into the mixture.

My barfi took between 5-10 minutes to harden to the point where I could cut it neatly into squares.

Use a sharp knife and take your time when cutting to get a clean sharp edge.

Storage

Keep besan barfi stored in an air-tight container at room temperature. It will keep for 2-3 weeks although I find it's most fresh up to 1 week.

As always if you make this recipe, be sure to leave me a comment, rate this recipe and tag me on Instagram @jcookingodyssey or #jcookingodyssey. I love seeing all your photos of my recipe recreations!

Don’t forget to follow me on social media using the buttons below – I can't wait to see you all there!

• Instagram
• Facebook
• Pinterest
• YouTube