Coconut burfi

February 5, 2023

   

We had some friends over for a vegan, mostly gluten-free dinner - Michael made spiced chickpeas and stir-fried sweet corn, and served them with rice, roti and pickles. I clicked around for a suitably themed, easy-to-make dessert and hit on this 14-year-old recipe for coconut burfi from Mallika Basu. The original version uses ghee and sweetened condensed milk, but these are easily replaced with vegan alternatives.

The mixture was simple to stir together, it set rapidly in the fridge, and I was pleasantly surprised at how neatly it sliced. I went light on the cardamom, because it smelled strong and I wasn't sure if our guests would enjoy it, but I'll use a lot more next time. I loved the fudgy-chewy texture of these burfi and they were intensely sweet, so I'd recommend cutting them small and allowing their biggest fans to go back for seconds.

Coconut burfi

(slightly adapted from a recipe by Mallika Basu) 

175g desiccated coconut

2 tablespoons ghee or margarine

1 can condensed milk (I used Pandaroo sweetened coconut condensed milk)

1 teaspoon ground cardamom, or to taste

pinch of salt

nuts, to garnish (optional)

Soak the desiccated coconut in just enough hot water to cover it (I forgot to do this!). Line the bottom of a small baking tray with paper.

Melt the ghee/margarine in a saucepan, and add the coconut. Stir the coconut regularly until it's lightly toasted. Stir in the condensed milk, ground cardamom and salt until well mixed. Keep stirring, making sure the mixture doesn't get stuck to the bottom of the pot, until it's dry. (Mine was threatening to burn before it really looked dry, so I stopped there.) Pour the mixture into the baking tray and smooth over the top (I had good results with the back of a tablespoon, lightly sprayed with oil). Refrigerate the slice until firm.

Turn the tray upside down to release it, and slice it into small pieces. Garnish with nuts and an extra sprinkle of ground cardamom.