Khava Barfi

Khava barfi is everybody's favourite. Soft, rich and delicious, it melts in your mouth. Here's our recipe for probably the best barfi in town!

Recipe for Khava Barfi:

Serves as many (or as few) as you like!

Ingredients:

Khava	1 Cup
Sugar, Granulated	3/4th Cup
Saffron	A few strands
Pistachios, Slivered	10-15

Water

3-4 tsp

How to make Khava Barfi:

1. Lightly roast the saffron and let cool completely. Then, crush it a little to breakup the long strands. Keep the garnishes and the tray ready, before you start off with the barfi.The tray size that I used for this quantity was 5" X 5" X 0.5".

2. Now to make the barfi, sauté the khava on very low flame in a non-stick pan, stirring continually to make sure it does not change colour. Once the khava smells 'cooked' and starts to release it's fat, pop it in a bowl and set aside to cool.

3. Now, add the sugar and water to make a soft ball consistency syrup. For more information on sugar syrup consistency, click here.

4. Once done, add the roasted khava to the syrup and keep stirring. We're looking for a smooth, silky, lump-free mixture. Once you see bubbles all over the surface, turn off the heat.

5. Move the pan onto the worktop surface and keep stirring the mixture until it cools down and begins to thicken a little. You'll need to put more effort into the stirring progressively. Once it is stirred well, the mixture tends to set quickly.
6. Add the saffron dust and the sliced pistachios, saving some for garnishing the barfi. If you add these at the time you start stirring, you'll end up with a saffron-coloured barfi.

7. Pour the mixture in a barfi tray/ baking tray, and if required, level it by tapping the tray gently. Pop any bubbles that come to the surface with a skewer.

8. Garnish with saffron and pistachios and let set.

This takes about a day to firm up so make sure you prepare it well in time for the occasion. It's set when it's dry to the touch and holds it's shape.

This is a barfi so it's not going to be as firm as tilgul wadi or naral wadi. Once done, cut it into pieces of your desired size and shape (traditionaly these are square shaped) and store it in a cool dry place. It should stay well for about 3-5 days.