Panjeeri Burfi From Chapatti Flour (Like Fudge)
Atta Panjeeri or Barfi
Geeta Gupta
This Indian sweet is from the olden days, a favourite of my grandmother's. This was the staple sweet dish that was made in many North Indian homes in the olden days. It is still one of my favourites. My grandmother, and women of her generation, made it without using Mawa or Khoya. The result was a little firmer panjeeri than this version. This recipe is from my sister in-law Geeta, who lives in Roorkee in India and is an exceptionally good cook - Mamta
Ingredients
500 gm. chapatti flour or atta
100 gm. ghee or clarified butter
300 gm. sugar
150 ml. water
100 gm. Khoya or Mawa 1 / Khoya or Mawa 2, solidified condensed milk, grated or crumbled.
50 gm. chopped nuts like blanched almonds and cashew nuts (optional). You can also use peeled melon seeds, like my grandma used.
1 tbsp. raisins (optional)
100 gm. dessicated coconut (optional)
Instructions
Heat ghee in a pan and fry flour on medium heat, until it is beige in colour and emits a distinctive aroma of roasting flour, a bit like baking biscuits. Keep aside.
Grease a flat baking tray and keep aside. Do not use your best non-stick tray, the panjeeri needs to be sliced with a strong knife, which will ruin your tray.
Turn heat off, add grated mawa and mix well with the flour.
In a separate pan, heat water, dissolve sugar and boil briskly to make Sugar Syrup of 3 wire consistency.
Now add flour, nuts and raisins. Stir vigorously, using a wooden spatula. This makes the panjeeries light by trapping a little air.
Spread evenly on the tray, flattening the whole thing into a level surface. Experienced cooks level it with fingers wetted with cold water, by patting it very fast, carefully, so as not to burn the fingers.
Make diagonal cuts with a knife, across the whole tray, through the entire thickness of the solid. Each panjeeri should be a diamond of approximately 1 1/2 inch.
Allow to cool and set. Pick out individual burfi and keep in an airtight box.
Serve with tea or after dinner.
Notes
You can add all ingredients marked as optional, or use any one of them individually.
