COCONUT, CORIANDER AND MAPLE BARFI

 
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Barfis are Indian sweets, similar to the energy balls and bars we see everywhere today. Instead of only relying on nuts, which are heavy to digest, try this Indian way of using toasted besan flour (also known as gram or chickpea flour) for a lighter nutty taste. Ghee is a very typical and important ingredient in Indian recipes, but coconut oil is particularly cooling and a wonderful substitution in the summer months. Maple syrup is a more cooling sweetener than honey and brings out the flavour of the coriander seeds, which you might be surprised to see in a sweet recipe but trust me, it’s delicious. In the summer, we’re exposed to many allergens, specifically from pollen — coriander is not only helpful in reducing the inflammatory response to these allergens, but it also aids digestion. Enjoy these fragrant and lightly chewy sweets at lunchtime, when believe it or not the easiest time to digest sweets is before your meal (when you’re at full digestive capacity) — so go ahead and have a sweet as your starter. Remember to savour!

INGREDIENTS

Makes 36 barfi

2 cups/250g of besan/gram flour  
⅔ cup/260g coconut oil
½ cup/125ml of maple syrup
¼ cup/25g of desiccated coconut plus extra to decorate
½ tsp of ground cinnamon
1 tsp of coriander seeds
Small pinch of salt

METHOD

  1. Dry toast the coriander seed and set aside. Grind/crush if you like

  2. Dry roast the besan flour in a pan on a low heat for 10 minutes. Stir continuously right to avoid burning the besan.

  3. Add the coconut oil, allowing it to melt in the heat, and continue roasting the besan for around 5-6 minutes, stirring continuously.

  4. The besan will start to give off a nice nutty fragrance. Remove from the heat.

  5. Combine with the ¼ cup of desiccated coconut, cinnamon, coriander and salt and then mix in the maple syrup. Taste and adjust.

  6. Line a square pan - approx. 6x6 inch with baking parchment and fill with the mixture. Push down with the back of the spoon to condense and make it smooth.

  7. Sprinkle over a thin layer of desiccated coconut and push down firmly. Place the barfi in the fridge to cool.

  8. When ready to serve slice into 1 inch squares with a hot knife

  9. Store any extras in the fridge in an airtight container.

 
BREAKFAST, VEGETARIAN, SWEETS, SUMMERJasmine Hemsley