Coconut Beetroot Barfi (Coconut Beetroot Fudge)

My Mom and I were discussing various recipes that are made during the festive season and one of my favorites is coconut burfi or naral barfi. I told her I was planning to make that sometime soon and she suggested that I try adding some beetroot to make it colorful. I loved the idea and I decided to try it with golden beetroots. The end result was beautiful. The barfi turned out to absolutely golden and it tastes great. And I feel less guilty eating it because I know I am also eating a vegetable. This is a beautiful, delicious and healthier variation to the coconut barfi.

The recipe for the coconut barfi can be found here.

Ingredients
2 cups fresh coconut - grated/scraped (if using frozen, thaw it)
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup whole milk
1 cup beetroot - cooked and grated (see details in method)
1/8 tsp cardamom powder

Method

Cook the beetroot and then grate it. I usually do it in a pressure cooker

Heat the beetroot, coconut and sugar in a pan. Stir it and then add the milk. The sugar will melt and turn into syrup. As the mixture starts to thicken, add the cardamom powder. Stir frequently so that the mixture doesn't burn. Heat this mixture, till it is thick enough, so that when you move a spoon through it, you can see the base of the pan and till the mixture comes together. In the meanwhile, grease a tin or dish with some ghee or butter. Then pour the mixture in a greased pan. Use a spatula to spread this or you can use the base of a small bowl. Grease the base of the bowl with some ghee, so that the coconut mixture doesn't stick to the base. Once it has cooled down a little and is warm to touch, cut it into small squares.  Once it has completely cooled down, you can separate the squares. Store it in the fridge.

Tips

You can scrape/grate a coconut and freeze this in an airtight bag/box for about 6-8 weeks. After you scrape the coconut, heat it for a minute in the microwave or on the stove till you can smell the coconut aroma. Then cool it and freeze it. This helps preserve the coconut for a longer period.
When you cook the beetroot in the pressure cooker, just wash it and place it in the cooker. Remove the top and the root end and peel it after it is cooked.
If you use red beetroot (which I plan to use the next time), you will get a beautiful pink color.

Kaju Katli - Kaju Barfi - Cashewnut Marzipan

This is possibly the best known sweet or "mithai" in India. Most people from all corners of India know of this sweet and might have eaten it as well. Whenever, someone visits from India, they will invariably get a request for this wonderful delicacy. This is also one of the most expensive sweets. It is garnished with silver foil, which is reserved to garnish the best sweets. This sweet can be stored for a long duration as well. It is one of the sweets that can easily be found in Indian stores outside India as well. Now, generally most recipes call for a syrup to be made, which is a lenghty process. But do read on, because the best part about this particular recipe version is that it is the easiest method to make this sweet. Of course, it's one of my Mom's recipes. The method is so easy, that if you use this, this will be the easiest mithai you can make. Whip it  up for a special occasion, and you are sure to impress the fussiest guest.

Ingredients
raw cashewnuts
powdered sugar
(see the method below for the proportions)

Method
Start with the amount of cashews that you want to use. I would suggest using about 2 cups of cashews, if you plan to make it in a small quantity. Soak these in water for at least 4-5 hours, overnight would be best. Then drain the water and process the cashews to make a fine paste of the cashews. Measure the cashew paste. Then, measure an equal quantity of powdered sugar. Mix the two together and then start heating this mixture. Stir it and let it cook. Keep the temperature at a very low level while cooking to avoid any browning. Make sure to keep stirring the mixture so that it doesn't stick to the base of the pan and brown. As the mixture starts thickening, it will get more difficult to stir it around as it gets heavy and sticky. However, it is crucial that at this stage you stir it and do not let it stick to the base and brown. At this stage, test the consistency of the mixture. Take a small drop (it will be hot so be careful) and roll it between your fingers. If you can mould it into a ball (it will be like molten wax) and it retains its shape, then you can take it off the heat.

Let the mixture cool to a temperature where you can handle it. At this stage, knead the mixture into a ball like a dough ball. Then roll it out into a sheet which is about  half a centimeter in thickness. Then cut the dough into diamond shaped pieces (about 1.5 inches across). Keep these on a greased sheet (grease it with ghee/clarified butter). Kaju katli is ready when the diamond pieces have cooled down completely. Garnish with silver foil if available.

You can store it in an airtight container for a couple of weeks. It lasts in the refrigerator for upto a month.

Tips
The cashew paste must be very fine and there shouldn't be any grainy texture. Measure the sugar after you process the cashews. Both must be of equal measure. Use a large pan so that the evaporation rate is faster and that will make the cooking process faster. Use a non stick pan so that the mixture will not stick while cooking. The color should not change. It will be a grey, beige color mixture. Also, as the sugar melts, the mixture will start getting sticky and as the the cooking process comes closer to completion, it will get more difficult to stir it around. If you are cooking a large quantity, then it is advisable to take turns with someone else to stir it. Grease your hands with some ghee/clarified butter before you knead the cashew mixture to keep it from sticking to your hands.

I used a pound of cashews and that resulted in a very large quantity of kaju katli (over a 100 pieces).

Nariyal Barfi - Coconut Burfi/ Coconut Fudge

Hope you are having a festive week, with Halloween followed by Diwali. As the celebrations wind down, I am going to add one more easy recipe which can be made for any festive occasion or as a dessert. This is a very simple recipe and very tasty.  This was a last minute addition to my Diwali spread this year and I made it just about an hour before guests arrived. What makes this recipe appealing is that it takes under 15 minutes for the entire cooking process.

Ingredients
2 cups fresh coconut - grated/scraped (if using frozen, thaw it)
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1/8 tsp cardamom powder

Method
Heat the coconut and sugar in a pan. The sugar will melt and turn into syrup. As the mixture starts to thicken, add the cream and cardamom powder. Stir frequently so that the mixture doesn't burn. Heat this mixture, till it is thick enough, so that when you move a spoon through it, you can see the base of the pan. In the meanwhile, grease a tin or dish with some ghee or butter. Then pour the mixture in a greased pan. Use a spatula to spread this or you can use the base of a small bowl. Grease the base of the bowl with some ghee, so that the coconut mixture doesn't stick to the base. Once it has cooled down a little and is warm to touch, cut it into small squares.  Once it has completely cooled down, you can separate the squares. Store it in the fridge.

Tips
You can scrape/grate a coconut and freeze this in an airtight bag/box for about 6-8 weeks. After you scrape the coconut, heat it for a minute in the microwave or on the stove till you can smell the coconut aroma. Then cool it and freeze it. This helps preserve the coconut for a longer period.