Besan Burfi

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Besan Burfi

Besan (gram flour) Burfi is a popular Indian sweet prepared with gram flour, ghee, sugar and flavoured with cardamom powder. This easy recipe of besan burfi is super quick to make and perfect for any celebrations.

The word ‘burfi’ or ‘barfi’ is a Hindi word with its origins from Persian word ‘barf’ which means ‘snowy’. This traditional Indian sweet is called ‘burfi’ because of its melt-in-the mouth texture.

There are many versions and variations of burfi in India and most have a fudge-like consistency. The different variations are prepared with anything from lentils to nuts, fruits and in this case from besan. Burfi is a popular sweet consumed throughout India and Pakistan and is especially popular in North India. It is often served at celebrations and religious festivals such as Diwali and Holi.

I do enjoy Besan Burfi due to the natural nutty flavour from the gram flour and also the simplicity of this recipe. It is an easy recipe to prepare at home, just follow the steps carefully and you would have made a perfect melt in the mouth besan burfi.

Other Indian recipes you might like to try are Whole Wheat Gulgule, Moong Dal Halwa, Lychee Sandesh, Badam Halwa, Besan Churma and Dhaniya Panjiri.

Ingredients

1 cup ghee
3 cups gram flour (besan)
1 teaspoon cardamom powder
2 cups sugar
½ cup water
Few saffron strands
1-2 tablespoons finely chopped unsalted pistachio

Directions

Step-1

Sift the gram flour. Heat ghee in a pan and add the gram flour and roast the flour on ‘low heat’ for around 10-15 minutes. The besan initially clumps up and looks dry when you start stirring but do not add any more ghee. It will loosen up! Stir continuously while roasting the flour so that there is even roasting and browning.
Once roasted the flour begins to turn golden, releases a nutty aroma and the ghee begins to leave the sides or float on top. These are the signs that the besan is fully cooked and takes from around 20-25 minutes.

Step-2

Once the gram flour is roasted, add the cardamom powder and cook for 2-3 minutes. Remove pan from heat and set aside. Let it cool down.

Step-3

Add sugar, water and saffron to a pan and heat. Stir to dissolve the sugar. It takes around 4-5 minutes to dissolve the sugar. Once the sugar has dissolved lower the heat and let the sugar syrup simmer for 5-6 minutes. At this point we need to check if the syrup has reached one string/thread consistency.

To test the syrup, put a drop of sugar syrup between your thumb and index finger and pull them apart, you should see a single thread formation. If the thread breaks it needs more cooking and if you can make more than 1 thread that means the syrup is over cooked.

Turn the heat off once the syrup is one string/thread consistency.

Step-4

Add the sugar syrup to the cooled down besan. Stir until all the sugar syrup is well combined with the besan.
Line a tray with baking parchment. Transfer the mixture to the tray and tap to get rid of excess air. Sprinkle the nuts on top and leave it aside for 3-4 hours to set. Once set, cut into pieces.
Enjoy the homemade besan burfi!

Tips & Variations

Use besan or gram flour which is within its shelf-period as it makes a huge difference to the taste. Make sure the flour does not taste bitter or has become rancid.
Always sift the besan before adding it to ghee as this gives the burfi a nice, smooth texture.
Always roast the gram flour on low heat as it will give a delicious nutty flavour to the burfi.
The roasting time will vary with the material, size and thickness of the pan.
It is extremely important to get the sugar syrup consistency right- one string/thread consistency. If the syrup is over-cooking the burfi will be hard and turn out like a rock. If the syrup is under-cooked, the burfi will not set.
To check the sugar syrup using a thermometer, heat it to 110C for perfect consistency.
If the burfi doesn’t set even after 4-5 hours, then put the mixture back in the pan and cook for 4-5 minutes on medium heat and then set it again.