Vegan Kesar Burfi – Almond Semolina Fudge flavored with Saffron

Dassana’s blog  is one of my favorite Indian food blogs and her recipes never fail. Dassana makes authentic Indian food very accessible. True to her blog title, her collection is full of authentic regional/state specific cuisine, tips and tricks that have been passed on from generations, some recipes you will never find anywhere else on the web and definitely in no Indian restaurants. 
Her blog has a lot of vegan options, moving towards more and more so.

Most of the dairy intense Indian sweets are difficult to veganize to an exact taste and I keep working on them with every festival. The idea for this Kesar Burfi came along round Lohri festival. I finally made a version that I liked and my husband loved and here we are with a Almond Semolina Fudge with Saffron.

The soaked almonds work as Khoya (milk solids) and the semolina holds it all together. You can adjust the quantity of sugar syrup, a few teaspoons less syrup for a dryer harder burfi and more syrup for a softer melt in your mouth version.



I dont whip up much authentic Indian food as I would like. I picked up a few recipes while cooking with my mom during undergrad summers, and I always wanted to try new versions or fusions back then too. Then I left to come to the US for grad school. Most other methods, I have learnt over time by trial and error and working with the tastes and textures that I remember or like. I think that is one of the reasons that helps me think out of the box and vegan-ize  some of the indian sweets. Rasmalai(cheese balls in sweet saffron milk) and Rasgulla still evade me, (* not anymore, check my book!).
Some of the barfi(burfi)/ladoos already on the blog are almost as I remember while some are altered results that we love. This burfi might not taste exactly like the khoya version but it is delicious and a current favorite. 

As Vegans, me and my husband eat a plant-based diet, that excludes all animal and animal derived products such as dairy(including milk and all milk derived products, Ghee, Butter, Cheese, milk powder etc), eggs, honey and meat(chicken, beef, lamb, fish etc). All of these products lead to immense pain, suffering, torture and eventual death of a living being. The number for The Indian dairy industry is 8 million unwanted male calves killed every year. That is 1 every 11 seconds. These are extra calves left after all the other millions of calves which go back into the dairy or leather or bull industry. 
Some frequently asked questions about the diet and stats specific to India, are answered in this well written post by Harini.

There are several alternatives available here in the US to replace milk, meat, cheese, cakes, desserts and the lot. But not many options for Mithai/Indian Sweets. So here is another attempt at a delicious and cruelty free alternative.

For more Vegan-ized Indian sweets, Gulab Jamuns, Ladoos and more see here.

Step by Step Pictures and the Recipe at Veg Recipes of India here. Or below.

Steps:

In a pan, mix all the ingredients of the sugar syrup and bring to a boil on low-medium heat. Continue boiling till 1 string consistency is achieved. Few minutes.
Meanwhile, in another pan, dry roast the semolina on low-medium heat for 6-8 minutes or until it starts changing color and is fragrant.



If your semolina grain is large, then pulse it a few times in a blender/processor before roasting.
Add ground almonds and oil to the roasting semolina.



Mix well to form crumbs. (half a minute)



Add the boiling sugar syrup and mix well.
Take off heat after a few seconds and pour on greased or parchment lined pan.



Use a knife or Pizza cutter to cut into squares. Let cool completely before breaking apart.