7 Cup Fudge - Saat Vati Barfi/Vadi

I made this recently for a get together and it was a big hit. I had doubled the recipe, and prepared a large quantity and by the end of the evening, the plate was almost empty. I also got a lot of compliments and requests for this recipe. So, I must conclude that this is indeed a lip smacking sweet and is liked by others just as much as my family and I do.  The best part is that this recipe is possibly the easiest Indian sweet one can ever make. It is one where you really can't go wrong.This recipe can be easily scaled up and you can be assured that it will wow your guests. So, if you are a beginner cook or looking for something easy but impressive, then this is it.

The reason why this is called 7 cup vadi/barfi is that the amount of ingredients total up to 7 cups, so it is also an easy recipe to remember.

Ingredients
1 cup besan/chickpea flour
1 cup ghee/clarified butter
1 cup grated fresh coconut
1 cup milk
3 cups sugar
1/4 tsp cardamom powder (optional)

Method
Take a plate or tray in which you will pour out the barfi and set it and grease it well with ghee.

In a large deep pan, mix together all the ingredients. It really doesn't matter what order you put the ingredients in, however it is easier if you start off with ghee and milk and then add the dry ingredients and stir them in. Then place this pan on the stove and keep it on very low heat. Stir frequently. You don't want the ingredients at the base to burn.

The mixture will liqudefy when it gets hot as the sugar melts, however after sometime, it will start to thicken. At this stage, you will need to pay attention to check how thick it is getting. When the mixture thickens enough that when you stir it, the base of the pan can be easily viewed for a few seconds, then the mixture is ready to be poured into the greased plate. Alternately, you can take a  drop full of the mixture into a plate and as soon as it is cool enough to touch, try to roll it into a ball. If you are able to roll it, then the mixture is ready to be poured.

Use a bowl or measuring cup to spread the mixture out into the plate. Make sure to grease the base of the cup with ghee, so that the mixture doesn't stick. Use it to level the mixture and flatten it. Now, let the mixture cool. When it has cooled to a luke warm temperature, it will solidify a little. At this stage, you can easily cut it into squares. Once it has cooled down completely, you can easily separate out the vadis into individual pieces.
Make this as a sweet snack or for a special occasion.

Tips
Add the cardamom powder so that the aroma of the barfi is great. If you have the time, keep this mixture aside for about 30 mins. This will help in dissolving the sugar in the wet ingredients and the cooking time will reduce slightly. The color of the  mixture will darken as it cooks, but make sure to keep stirring it so that the ingredients at the base don't burn or stick to the pan. It maybe easier to use a non-stick pan.

If the mixture becomes too thick while cooking it, add a little more milk to thin it out and then cook it till the right consistency is reached. Also, if you remove the mixture from the heat a bit early and it doesn't set into solid individual pieces upon cooling, don't panic. Just put the mixture back into the pan and cook it for a few more minutes. It is a foolproof recipe and easy to correct if you do make a mistake.