recipes of Til ki burfi and Besan ki burfi : two burfi ecipes for festive season

Burfi or katli is a fudge made with evaporated milk or khoya and sugar normally, called khoye ki burfi. The plain khoye ki burfi can be made with different flavors like saffron, cardamom, sprinkled with chopped nuts or even flowers petals like rose. I had never liked the plain khoya burfis, whatever colour or flavor they were.

I found all the other variants of burfi really interesting, even a green colored lauki (bottle guard) ki burfi or another green hare chane ki barfi which is actually halwa. Many burfi like mithais are actually halwa like the famous karachi halwa is actually a burfi and even Habshi halwa and Dhoda come into the form of burfi.

Well, that Lauki ki burfi is not a popular recipe probably because it is made with a cheap ingredient, no one feels proud to eat and serve that anymore. I don't make it because it uses a lot of sugar to almost crystallize the grated bottle guard. Yes the lauki ki burfi is that sweet. I used to love it more for the texture when I was a child.

Other variants of burfi were the many kinds of Besan (gram flour) ki burfi, Nariyal (coconut) ki burfi and Til (sesame) ki burfi. I make these more and more because they can be adapted to a lower sugar version, the way one enjoys the flavors of other ingredients more I feel. Sesame and Coconut are my favorite ingredients to go for either savory or sweet treats.

These two types of burfi I am sharing today, use the same technique of cooking the khoya and sugar together till the mixture bubbles, then addng the other ingredients and mixing them, cooking further for a few minutes till the mixture becomes like a ball in the hot pan. The other burfi is a Besan, coconut and khoya burfi.

This til ki barfi was traditionally made for makar sankranti in many homes and the same mixture was even stuffed in gujhia that was made in some families in Banaras.

ingredients for sesame or til ki burfi...
1 cup of sugar
1 cup of prepared khoya (make it in microwave using powdered milk like this)
1 cup of water
3 cups of roasted sesame seeds (or a little more or less, depends on how quickly you mix the ingredients when hot)
some finely chopped mixed nuts of you wish

procedure...

Mix the water, sugar and prepared khoya in a kadai and start boiling the mixture.

The sugar would melt first and then the melting and mixing khoya would make an emulsion like consistency while boiling. The mixture would bubble like lava at one time so be careful to watch it as soon as the margins start getting lighter in color and the whole mix gets frothy.

This is the time to add the roasted sesame seeds into this boiling mix. Add the chopped nuts too if using.

Keep adding the sesame seeds slowly as you mix the hot mixture, and accommodate as much sesame as you can. The mixture should be in a barely flowing consistency at the end of it. Holding together like a ball.

The more sesame seeds you add the more less sugar content of this burfi would be. Mixing the boiling khoya-sugar mix faster would help you add quite a good amount of sesame seeds.

Now take the kadai off the flame and pour the mixture on a greased metal plate, tray or thali.

Flatten the mixture with the help of a long blade knife. and score marks for cutting the burfi in desired shape.

Let them cool completely and store in an airtight container.

This Til ki burfi is suitable for fasting during Navratri too...


Recipe of besan ki burfi 
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ingredients
1 cup of sugar
1 cup of khoya
1 cup of water
1.5 cups of dry roasted besan (chickpea flour)
1.5 cup of dry coconut powder or dessicated coconut

procedure...

The boiling of khoya, water and sugar mixture would be just like the sesame seeds burfi. Follow the same steps.

Then add the besan and coconut powder mix to the boiling mixture, mix well just like instructed in the sesame burfi and pour in a greased metal plate or tray. Cut in desired shape and let it cool before storing them in an airtight container.

Notes for the besan-coconut burfi :

Roast the besan in a thick base kadai on a low flame so it gets nicely browned slowly. This way it develops a nice nutty taste. Take care not to burn the besan as it starts sticking to the base when either the heat level is high or stirring is slow .

Singhade ka aatta or Water Chestnut flour can be used if you are making this burfi for fasting days. The taste is great with Singhada flour too.

The coconut used here is the regular dry nut, grated and powdered in mixie. You can use desiccated coconut  or even coconut flour available in many places.

Finely chopped nuts can be added to this burfi too, for added texture and flavors if you like.

The same procedure can be used to make burfi with any nut powders you wish.

A very versatile and forgiving recipe to make burfi that lasts quite some time. Keeps well at room temperature for about two weeks.

I know a few people have been waiting for these recipes as I had posted the pictures during holi on my facebook page. Do make these and be assured these are quite low on sugar content, if you can manage to accommodate more Sesame or Besan-Coconut mix to the boiling syrup mix.

Do let me know if you like them...

Til gud, Tilgul, Til ka laddoo or Til ki chikki | the desi Sesame brittle with loads of ginger

Til ki chikki is one winter treat I always look forward to. And I amke it minimally sweet just as my dadi used to make them. Yes, this is one sweet treat where you don't have to worry about the portion size at all. The sweetening is so minimal and that too with natural brown sugar or jaggery, that it's just a hint of sweet and you get a rich nutty taste of sesame all the way. A rich taste that satiates big time.

This recipe always brings back memories of my grandmother. She used to make huge quantities of this Til ke laddoo and it used to be the happiest of the times. My mother never made these but I used to watch my grandmother make them perfectly year after years, roasting the sesame, bubbling the jaggery and then mixing them together before binding them into laddoos (balls) which was the toughest task as the hot mixture would hurt the palms and the sticky nature of hot jaggery would make it really difficult to roll the balls. She would wet her hands in cold water n make small balls tirelessly. She was the most happy when she made such treats for us. Worth mentioning that she lived a hundred and six years all because of healthy food, active life and a very positive attitude towards life that she had. Fond memories.

I started making these laddoos as soon as a started missing them in winters. That was just after we got married 13 years ago. The husband loves all types of sesame and jaggery preparations going by the names like Gajak from western UP, Til ki patti from eastern UP, Tilkut from Bihar and Tilgul from Maharshtra and Til-mungfali ki patti found all over the country I guess. He used to bring home all such sesame brittle in large quantities and I would always tell him they were not good as I had tasted better things at home.

As a new homemaker I was a bit apprehensive to try such a difficult looking recipe but my craving for that nostalgic taste and the husband's love for everything Til and Gud made me try this in my own little kitchen. The first attempt was not that great as I could not bind the balls perfectly and almost half of the mixture got cold and had to be eaten like a crumble. The taste was perfect as I have an innate sense of bringing the  flavors right. After a little practice I learnt how to bind the balls well and what else to do when  want to save time. I started making bars with the mixture.

ingredients...

500 gm white sesame
200-250 gm jaggery (I use 200 gm or even less)
2-3 tbsp finely grated fresh ginger root
1 tbsp of plain water (sometimes I even use about 100 ml water and cook the syrup longer*)
ghee to grease the baking tray or plate

procedure...

Dry roast the sesame in a pan on low to medium flame, stirring it all the while. It will be ready in about 10 minutes or as soon as a nutty aroma starts emanating and the color of the white sesame turns a nice golden brown.

Now mix the grated or curled (using a paring knife) jaggery and grated ginger in a heavy pan or kadhai. I use a trusted iron kadhai or a thick base aluminium one for this.
If the jaggery is in small pieces it can be used directly.

Heat these ingredients on high flame with just a tbsp of water and watch the melting of jaggery. The jaggery and ginger mix would cook together, first melting to make a syrup and then bubbling to become a frothy mass.See the picture to get an idea. the mixture gets frothy and smells of caramel and ginger. Looks glossy and makes a string when you drop it through the spatula.

This is the time when you have to tip in all the roasted sesame to it and mix quickly so every grain of sesame is coated with the sticky syrup of jaggery. It is quite an easy thing to do as the minute seeds of sesame get mixed really well. This has to be done quickly and then is the time to either wet your hands with chilled water and shape small balls with the medium hot mixture or to make bars with it.

If you find it difficult to shape balls you can always grease a baking tray or plate with ghee and spread this mixture over it evenly. Press the mixture firmly and smoothen it using a cold and greased knife so it becomes smooth. Here I used a silpat lined baking tray and pressed it using a wooden block. Use butter paper for lining the tray or plate for convenience.

Let the brittle cool down completely, invert on a wooden work surface, peel of the silpat (or butter paper) and cut in desired shapes, using a sturdy knife.

 It makes a really tasty and healthy sweet treat even if it doesn't bind well into bars or balls. You can enjoy it like a loose crumble. As it is or sprinkled over your oatmeal or any other porridge breakfast.

It is a typical winter delicacy. Made mostly during Makar Sankranti...but can be enjoyed all through winters.

Binding the sesame seeds with minimal quantity if jaggery needs a lot of practice but it's worth practicing this. It is not a very time consuming process if you make a small quantity like this. Took me half an hour to make a dozen balls and nine huge bars this time.

A new learner might need some more time and may be some more jaggery to start with. You can use as much jaggery as you want. Going up to equal to sesame.

I wrap these bars or squares in butter paper if we are traveling during winters as it makes a nice snack while walking and shopping.... peeling off the butter paper and smelling these bars makes one hungry at once. 

Posting this recipe while we are still enjoying our winters so you can try if still wanting to get a healthy Calcium and iron boost. This is essentially winter food , rich and nutritious.

Sesame is nourishing food. Include it in curries if you don't do it already. Or make chutneys with it.