Vegan Kesar Burfi - Almond Semolina Fudge flavored with Saffron

When Dassana of Veg Recipes Of India asked me to do a guest post(which was some time back and I got sucked into the holiday season back then), I knew I had to make an Indian dessert/Mithai.

Prep Time15 mins

Cook Time20 mins

Total Time35 mins

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Indian

Servings:

Calories: 155kcal

Author: Vegan Richa

Ingredients

3/4 cup raw almonds soaked overnight
1/2 cup Semolina flour or fine Semolina fine Sooji, fine cream of wheat
a pinch of sea salt or regular salt
2 Tablespoons Oil I usually use 1 Tablespoon refined Coconut oil and 1 Tablespoon Earth balance butter or organic canola oil

Sugar Syrup

1/2 cup ground raw sugar or coconut sugar or other sugar of choice. Use 2 Tablespoons more for sweeter
1/4 cup water
a pinch of cardamom powder
1/2-1 teaspoon Saffron strands to taste
a pinch of salt

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Soak the almonds overnight. Peel and pulse into coarse crumbs. Add a pinch of sea salt and keep ready. * You can also use almond meal. Soak for a few hours, drain and use.
* To peel almonds easily. Drain and soak them in boiling water for 2 minutes. The Skin will loosen up. Press the almonds and they will pop out.
In a pan, mix all the ingredients under sugar syrup and bring to a boil on low-medium heat. Continue boiling till 1 string (single thread)consistency is achieved ( temp around 230 degrees F / 110ºc).
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, oil and mix well to form crumbs. (Mix continuously by pressing and breaking crumbs to evenly distribute the oil. half a minute)
Add the boiling sugar syrup and mix well.
Take off heat after a few seconds and pour on greased/oiled or parchment lined pan.
Even it out, use knife to cut into square or diamond shape, and let cool for 15 minutes before slicing into pieces.

Notes

Notes: Use 3/4 of the syrup, mix well and add more if needed. Semolina from different wheat grains absorbs moisture differently. Once mixed, check if the mixture is already a lump and can be set into burfi. If too dry and crumbly, then add more syrup.

Nutritional values based on one serving

Nutrition