This recipe is part of my dessert experimentation. I am not vegan but it looked and sounded great so I've decided to give it a go. Barfi is a classic Indian sweet with a very specific cardamom taste. Indeed, cardamom is the main spice in this delicious dessert and this recipe is no exception! It was inspired by Vaishali, the woman behind the Holy Cow Vegan website. It was the first time I've made barfi and I have tweaked it slightly. I still feel that I would like to experiment with it a little more to get it to my taste, although I do want to keep it more or less traditional tasting. So keep an eye out on this space!
This dessert is super quick and easy to make. It took me just 30 minutes to prepare using only 5 ingredients. What's not to like?
VEGAN BARFI
INGRIDIENTS
- 1 cup almonds
- 1 cup cashew nuts
- 1 cup coconut sugar
- ½ cup water
- 1 tsp green cardamom powder
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
- 2 tbsp nuts (chopped, for garnish, optional)
METHOD
1. Put almond and cashew nuts into a food processor and process to a flour consistency.
2. Put the water and sugar in a heavy-bottomed pan or skillet (non-stick works best for this). Add the cardamom and let it come to a boil.
3. Turn the heat to low or medium-low. Add the cashew flour and almond flour and mix. Continue stirring at frequent intervals, making sure your flour is not sticking to the bottom. If it is, scrape it up right away.
4. Within a few minutes, the mixture will begin to pull off the sides and bottom of the pan. At this point, add the coconut oil and continue stirring. The mixture will look quite sticky but continue stirring it consistently to avoid burning.
5. After about 12-15 minutes, the mixture will began to solidify and will start to pull off the edges of the pan. The barfi is ready when you can roll a small piece of it into a ball. Turn off the heat at this point and transfer the dough into a bowl.
6. Leave the dough to cool down slightly and as soon as you can handle it, knead it into a soft ball.
7. Lay a piece of parchment paper on a baking sheet or a flat baking pan. Place the barfi mixture on it in an even layer, about six inches square (or thinner, if you want thinner barfis).
8. Press some nuts for garnish on the top and let the barfi cool completely. When cool, cut the barfi into pieces. The barfi will store in the refrigerator for at least a week.