COCONUT BURFI (Indian Coconut Fudge)

COCONUT BURFI – a delicious 3-ingredient coconut fudge using fresh coconut; a traditional Indian sweet.

Coming from the southern coastal town of Mangalore and basically from the southern part of India where the main ingredient used in most of our Konkani cooking is coconut, I always, always have freshly grated coconut in my fridge or freezer to use in chutneys, coconut based curries, snacks etc.

But sometimes they end up in some delicious desserts or sweets like Ponsa Patholi (a jackfruit sweet), in a sweet stuffed flat bread like Puran Poli or ubbati etc.

This time it is Coconut burfi/Kobbari Burfi/Thengai Burfi/Soyye Khadi or mithai (as called in different south Indian languages), another easy and simple dessert/snack/sweet/fudge where coconut is the star ingredient!

With just some sugar and a dash of milk, this juicy fresh delight metamorphoses into a melt-in-mouth, sweet tropical burst of coconutty flavor in every fudgy, juicy bite!

HOW TO MAKE COCONUT BURFI:

Making this Indian sweet (coconut fudge) is actually very effortless.

Just dump the ingredients in a saucepan, stir until it leaves the sides of saucepan and spread in a greased pan to set!

Cut into desired shaped pieces when cool and viola; scrumptious and melt-in-mouth coconut burfi is ready to satiate your sweet cravings!

Well, almost easy! It needs a few prep steps before that.

First step is to powder the green cardamom seeds (which gives any Indian sweet/dessert that “Oo La La” aroma/smell)!

This is easily done by powdering a portion or all of the sugar with the cardamom seeds until totally blitzed.

If you can find already ground or powdered cardamom powder, that is fine but I would recommend freshly ground cardamom powder for that uber, exotic and to-die-for aroma!

Next step is to blitz the grated coconut into finer grains. Here you can use freshly grated or frozen coconut. And make sure you use only the white portion (without any brown parts) to make for a snow white coconut burfi!

Freshly grated coconut is slightly coarse and grainy in shape, so first it has to be ground or blended in a small blender jar to make a finer grain; as much as possible without making it to a paste!

This step is necessary to get smoother burfis. You could use store bought dry desiccated coconut too (unsweetened) but the taste would be not as dashing as with fresh coconut.

Now, comes the muscle workout part which most Indian burfis need!

Just mix the blitzed coconut, sugar (both the powdered with cardamom and regular granulated) and a dash of milk (any milk is fine) into a saucepan.

Heat it up on high until the sugar melts and the mixture turns a bit liquidy.

Once that happens, reduce the heat to medium and continue to stir; do not let go or it will stick to the bottom of the pan and burn; I told you – muscle workout!

After about 10 minutes (from the start), time to add the milk powder. This step is needed to give body to the fudge/burfi and adds more richness too!

Continue to cook and after another 10 minutes, you will notice the mixture forming a big soft mass, which moves as a single entity when you move the spatula. This is an indication that the burfi is almost done.

At this stage, stir in a tablespoon of ghee/clarified butter and mix through.

Ghee again adds that richness and aroma that any Indian sweet can have. Also, lends a lovely sheen to the final finish!

When the ghee is mixed through and the dough forms a big, firm but soft mass, remove and spread onto a greased pan, leveling with a greased spatula.

DO NOT OVERCOOK  at this stage or the burfi will be too hard or turn powdery and crumbly in no time!

Now, comes the “difficult” part – waiting for it to cool!

The burfi was looking so gorgeous, almost white, aromatic and tempting; I was literally pacing the kitchen floor impatiently!

When cool enough to cut, using a sharp, heavy knife, cut into neat squares, rectangles or diamond shapes. (I was already popping those edge pieces into my mouth; could not wait any more and totally irresistible!)

I know I could not wait and my hubby too! It is his favorite burfi which until now I used to get from a local sweet shop! Pandemic makes you a bit less lazy to make and cook dishes you otherwise would have got store bought or as takeout!

This is a delicious, divine and melt-in-mouth Coconut Burfi which is ready in under 30 minutes, that you would love to indulge in yourself, share with family and friends and is a perfect dessert/sweet to be enjoyed during festivals, gatherings, pujas or to give away as edible gifts etc.!

Do give this easy, Coconut Burfi a quick try soon! I am sure you and your family are going to love it!

And again, why would you want to make it? It is:

• Fudgy
• Sweet
• Juicy
• Melt-in-mouth
• Easy to make
• & so Coconutty!

And if you do try this, don’t forget to share a pic on Instagram using #curryandvanilla16 (@curryandvanill16) or on my Facebook page.

Also, rate and comment in the box below so that I can get a peep into your thoughts on this!

MORE BURFI RECIPES for you?

• Easy Besan Burfi
• Suji Manpasand(Semolina Coconut Fudge)
• Horlicks Milk Powder Burfi
• Gur Papdi (Whole Wheat Fudge)

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