I am sharing a north indian/ punjabi style “besan” in my post today. For this easy besan burfi recipe, you need a handful of ingredients and about 40-45 minutes. Traditional sweets made with besan such as besan ladoo, besan halwa or barfi are very popular in the indian subcontinent. Imagine burfi a lot like fudge. I say its like fudge however, the process of setting the barfi and its square shape is comparable to a fudge. Mostly, barfi isn’t dense or chewy like a fudge, its texture is crumbly yet soft. Barfi are a must during festive season. Barfi is made with milk solids (khoya) and all sorts of flours, lentils, fruits etc. Fudgy sweet and ghee laden, this delicious mithai is studded with nuts and bursting with fragrant aroma of saffron, rose or cardamom. Some of my favorites are mango burfi, chocolate burfi and these fusion brown burfi bites with a milk burfi as top layer.
What is Besan Burfi
Besan ki burfi or Indian Gram Flour Fudge is prepared using besan(gram flour), sugar & ghee as main ingredients. The key component of any mithai made with besan is how well the besan is roasted. The nutty fragrant taste of besan burfi stays with you long after you have eaten it, mind you this sweet is very very addictive. Indian desserts made with besan top my list of favorites. Growing up, besan ladoo were made year round in our home but besan barfi was more of a winter special. I remember before school, a cup of warm milk and burfi was our breakfast, its super nutritious and soothing served with milk.
What is Besan?
Though besan is many a times referred to as chickpea flour, however chickpea flour is made my grinding white chickpeas (garbanzo beans). Besan is a high protein, gluten free flour super popular in indian kitchens for making sweets, curries as well as snacks. Besan manufacturing involves processing black chickpeas (kala chana). Black chickpeas are similar to chickpeas however they differ in size and color. They have a tough outer covering and they are slightly smaller in size. Kala chana is hulled and split to get bengal gram lentils or chana dal. Chana dal is ground to make besan or gram flour. The lentils are ground to get fine or super fine or coarse besan (also known as laddu besan).
Difference between Besan Barfi, Mysore Pak, Magas/ Mohanthal
The introduction of besan burfi brings us to this important question. There is slight difference among all these besan sweets in terms of texture, ingredients and method of preperation. Both Mohanthal and Magas or Magaj ladoo are a traditional gujarati sweet made using coarse besan and powdered sugar. Many magaj recipes use milk and flavoring spices like nutmeg. Magas has a grainy chewy texture because its made with coarse besan. Mohanthal is prepared in Rajasthan during festivals, weddings and numerous special occasions. Both these sweets are set thick, they are quite fudge and have a truly luxurious taste. Mysore Pak originated in the south indian city of Mysore. It is made with same ingredients(with a heavy dose of ghee). It has a dense chewy texture. Besan Barfi is made with fine gram flour. It has a smooth and soft texture. We need to prepare sugar syrup for making besan barfi, however sugar is directly added to the roasted besan when making magas.
Why you will love this barfi recipe
My simple recipe calls for basic ingredients that are common to most indian kitchens. Also, you dont need a ton of ingredients (Just 5 (including the green cardamom) For kids, its a nutritious treat or snack (of course when consumed in moderation). It’s my winter favorite during winters when we crave “meetha” after dinner. No need to check the string consistency of the syrup. Checking the “taar of chashni”, aka the sugar syrup consistency makes indian mithai one of the most intimidating process for many (including myself). This is such a stress free recipe! Soft and delicious barfi every time! Gluten free Perfect for gift boxes Has a good shelf life of 2 weeks
Ingredients
Besan Flour- Gram flour is easily available in most indian grocery stores. For making barfi, we need the super fine besan, the one that you use to make kadhi. I recommend buying a fresh pack of besan when you want to make barfi. Make sure you are not purchasing coarse besan. Ghee - Use good quality desi ghee.if its homemade, all the better. Ghee adds the aroma and taste of the barfi. Sugar - I use granulated sugar. It preserves the golden color of the barfi. Avoid using brown or raw sugar for thus recipe because it darkens the color. Green Cardamom Or use saffron Nuts - Are optional. However they do add to the look of the barfi along with taste. Use pistachios, almonds or cashew nuts.
My Tips For Making Perfect Besan Barfi
Use fresh besan and ghee. I cannot stress this enough. When a recipe calls for a few ingredients, their quality can make or break the taste of barfi. Roast the besan patiently. Roasting besan properly to do away the raw taste is the most important step of the recipe. In my experience, it takes 20-25 minutes of constant tending to slow roast the besan to that perfect golden shade. If you rush it, the nuttiness of besan won’t come through. Make a Sticky Sugar Syrup - We are not looking for any string consistency. However, we want a sticky syrup (similar to warm honey). I am mentioning how long to boil the sugar in the recipe card to help you achieve so. Use a heavy bottom and a wide pan or kadai (like iron kadai or cast iron pot) for making burfi. A wide pan helps because you will be able to move around the stirring spoon freely. A heavy bottom pot retains the heat and helps in maintaining constant heat while you roast the besan. Add a little bit of yellow food color (preferably powdered food color) for a bright yellow color.
How To Make Soft Besan Barfi at Home (Step By Step)
Slow Roast the Besan Mixture
First step is to roast the besan on low flame. Combine sifted besan and ghee in a heavy bottom pan or kadai and set on stove on low medium flame. At first you will see that the mixture will be quite thick. Keep stirring and scraping sides of the pan. Slowly as the besan roasts, it will start getting light and fluffy. Some pointers to know when the besan is roasted:- Take the pan off the stove and let the roasted besan cool. Meanwhile make the sugar syrup. Pro Tip :- Continue to stir for another 2-3 minutes or so after you take the pan off the stove else the besan will burn because the pan or kadai is super hot right now.
Make the Sugar Syrup
In a heavy pot, combine the sugar and water. Set on stove on medium heat. It takes about 1-2 minutes for sugar to dissolve. In 2 to 2.5 minutes or so you will see slow bubbling that will become quick in 4 minutes. Reduce heat to low, add cardamom and continue to simmer the sugar for another 2 minutes (total 6-8 minutes start to finish).
The sugar syrup should be sticky like warm honey. It should be pourable and not too thick.
Pro Tip :- To check the stickiness of sugar, take a tiny drop between index finger and press it with your thumb. It should feel sticky(not watery).
Set The Barfi
Mix the hot syrup in 2 parts with roasted besan. Pour the barfi base in a greased tray or a parchment paper lined tray. Sprinkle pistachios & almonds and press down. Let set for 2-3 hours. Slice into squares using a sharp knife.
Variations
Rava Besan Barfi - If you wish to make besan rava barfi, add 2 tablespoon of fine semolina while roasting the besan. Milk Besan Barfi - Mix in 2 tablespoon of milk powder or fine grated khoya once the besan has roasted. Nut free Besan Barfi- Simply skip the nuts. You add some edible gold or silver (chandi warq) on top before cutting into squares. Chocolate Besan Barfi - Add 1 cup of melted chocolate after the besan barfi has set. Refrigerate till the chocolate is firm. Slice using a sharp knife. Alternatively, you can do a light drizzle of chocolate on top too. Besan Burfi Cheesecake Bites - I shared this idea on my Instagram page for Diwali last year.
Storing Besan Barfi
Besan burfi has a shelf life of 2-2.5 weeks. Store in in an air- tight container at room temperature during winter season. During warm months, it is better to store refrigerated. Serve as dessert after meals or as a snack!
Recipe
