HALWAS AND BURFIS

Most types of Halwa are relatively dense confections sweetened with sugar or jaggery and use large quantities of ghee in their making. The texture may vary, but semolina based Halwa, which are the most popular, are gelatinous and translucent. In North India, kada prasad offered in the gurdwara of Sikh temples is a wheat based, ghee and sugar laden halwa.

India has many types of halwa sweet confectionery, region wise categorized. They include the widely popular suji (semolina) halwa. Other region specific halwa include wheat halwa, moong dal ka halwa, gajar (carrot) ka halwa, Dudhi (bottle gourd) Halwa, Kesari Bath (saffron colored semolina), etc.

Barfi, burfi 40 On the other hand, it is a dense milk-based sweet. A few of the famous varieties of barfi include besan barfi (made with gram flour), kaju barfi (made with cashews), pista barfi (made with ground pistachios), and sing barfi (made with peanuts). The main ingredients of plain barfis include condensed/thickened milk and sugar. The ingredients are cooked in a vessel until the mixture solidifies.

The flavour of a barfi is often enhanced with fruits (such as mango or coconut) or nuts (such as cashew, pistachio, or peanut) and spices (such as cardamom). Burfis are typically cut into square, diamond, or round shapes. The sweet is easily adapted for casual occasions to the most formal event. Different types of barfi vary in their colour and texture.

The confection is served all year round, but especially consumed during the holiday seasons, wedding ceremonies, and religious festivals. Barfi is often served during Eid and also Diwali.

Badam Burfi

Ingredients:

Almonds – 20 palam

Brown sugar for syrup – 25 palam

Brown sugar – 5 palam

Cardamom powder – 1/8 palam

Method:

● Remove the skin of almonds, soak it in warm water and pound it to a powder. Make sugar syrup out of 25 palam of sugar, and mix the powdered almonds into it. Mix well.

● Take and pound 5 palam of sugar and put it in the badam mixture.

● Smear ghee on to a tray and pour the prepared mixture as per the desired thickness. Cut into cubes.

● Sprinkle cardamom powder on top of the cubes in the tray. Dissolve saffron powder in water and add it to the sugar syrup if needed. Burfis can be made out of cashew nuts also.