The traditional barfi recipes in Indian cuisine involve slaving for hours by the stovetop and constantly stirring a pot to avoid the mixture from clumping or burning at the bottom. While the effort might be worth it, the thought of standing in a hot kitchen during the summer already has us melting into a puddle. Not to mention, the copious amounts of sugar that is needed to make this sweet confection. However, this recipe of mango-flax seed barfi, not just celebrates what’s in season in a delicious form, but also is a healthier version of the sweetmeat that everyone relishes with pleasure.
Moreover, it has other ingredients that are nutrient-dense – like unsweetened mawa, for example – which is a calcium-packed ingredient that is combined with protein and good fat rich cashews for this melt-in-the-mouth treat. Oh, and in case we forgot to mention, all it takes for this recipe to fall in place is a quick swish of the spatula and the blink of an eye; and five minutes of your time in the kitchen. Once you make this recipe, we’re sure that you wouldn’t want to make barfi any other way, thanks to its versatility where you can swap the mangoes for other fruit like sitaphal, bananas, kiwi and even pineapple; or chocolate, if you feel like it.
Recipe:
Ingredients
- 1 cup mawa
- ½ cup fresh mango pulp
- ¼ cup flax seed powder
- ¼ cup cashew powder
- ¼ cup raw honey
- 1 teaspoon cardamom powder
- 1 tablespoon ghee
Method
- Combine all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl and taste to check for sweetness. Add more honey if necessary.
- If the mixture feels too soft, add more cashew powder to make it into a firm, dough-like mixture and allow it to set in a square baking tin in the fridge overnight or for a minimum of seven hours.
- Once set, cut into squares and garnish with cashew halves and rose petals, if you have some. Serve chilled or at room temperature.