Coconut Burfi

Sometimes I can be a paradox.  'Why a paradox?'.There are days when I am extravagant with my wants, and days when I am happy being a minimalist. Festivals, especially Indian festivals, bring out the extravagant side of me. I love to get my silver lamps and pooja things out, not to mention my silk saris, our rich meals, and a lot of noise and chaos - the good kind of chaos, where everyone is talking at the same time and you almost need to scream to be heard. ( Yes I like that - sometimes ;)) After the day is done, all you want to do is get out of that sari, get into your old, comfy PJs and sink into bed. Well that's Diwali for me: colorful, noisy, and festive with lots and lots of food.

Thanks for joining me to celebrate the festival of lights!!! Coconut burfi is my favorite  and I just can't have enough of it. What's your favorite ?

Almond : handful soaked overnight and ground into fine paste with 1 tbsp of sugar and 1/4 tsp of saffron

1 coconut grated

1 cup sugar

1 tbsp ghee/clarified butter

1/2 tsp cardamom powder

2 tbsp of almond paste

In a pan saute the grated coconut and sugar, till the sugar melts and the mixture starts leaving side. Add the almond paste and continue to stir on a low flame. (do not stop stirring as it will burn the coconut) The mix will leave side and start gathering together like a dough.

Take a small amount and drop it in cold water, it should relatively harden.

Take a plate and smear some ghee on it.

Drop the coconut mix on the plate and with wet hands pat it to spread, if your hands cannot handle the heat, add ghee to the back of a small bowl and flatten it as uniformly as possible.

Wait for 10-15 min, with a pizza cutter, cut in diamond or square shapes.

After an hour, remove the pieces from plate and store in an air tight container.