Hazelnut Burfi

Festival season is a big deal in India. Living outside the country it is hard to get into the spirit of the season without the atmosphere which make these festivals so special. Of course there is one other important component that is essential to any celebration! Yes you guessed it - is the foods that go with it. I am neither in the the country nor able to provide the atmosphere but I am able to do something about the festive foods that get prepared.

So that is where this Hazelnut Burfi comes. The equivalent word for burfi might be fudge in the English language but fudge is more moist and chewy while a burfi is crumbly and melt in the mouth soft usually. Again there are no hard and fast rules everything works for a burfi. Burfi can be made with nuts, any kind of flour or coconut. Why hazelnuts and not almonds which are usually perfect for this?

The first time I got introduced to hazelnuts was through Nutella. The more I read about Nutella the more I wanted to stop buying it and make my own version at home. The first step is to buy the hazelnuts which I did easily enough. Once that happened they lay in the fridge waiting for an auspicious day which happened now just in time for Saraswathi Poojai celebrations, not as nut butter but as burfi.

Slightly roasted Hazelnuts and sugar required.
Roast and powder the hazelnuts while you get the sugar syrup ready.
Let the sugar reach one string consistency and mix the powdered nuts into the syrup.
Keep a small cup of water to do the sugar test. Sugar does not dissolve in the water when it has reached the correct consistency or does not flow when put in the plate.
Pour the mixture into a prepared plate and cut to desired shapes.

I have tried making Almond Burfi the hard way not listening to the suggestion given by a friend who gave the recipe. This time I followed her method and the texture has made me happy.

Initially I thought I'd add a bit of cardamom but hazelnut has this delicious scent so another flavor component like cardamom is not required. If you like it go ahead and add it.

Hazelnut Burfi
Preparation Time:15 minutes
Cooking Time:25 minutes
Ingredients

1. 2 cups hazelnuts
2. 2 cups raw sugar
3. 1/4 cup of water
4. 2 tbsp ghee (optional)
5. a small lime or few drops of lemon juice

Method

1. Take a wide mouthed heavy bottomed pan, add the sugar and enough water to just cover the sugar.
2. Let it come to a boil till it reaches one string consistency. Took me about 20 minutes.(See Note)
3. Tip:When boiling sugar as it sticks to the sides squeeze a few drops of lime juice or lemon juice on the sides to avoid crystallization of sugar.
4. As the sugar is boiling get the nuts ready. Lightly toast the nuts and cool. Blend to a smooth powder in the blender with short pulses. Do not over process, the nuts will get sticky which is good for nut butter but not for burfi.
5. Grease a plate with sides about 2 inches (a cake tin will work in a pinch) with ghee and keep ready.
6. Once the sugar reaches the string consistency, lower the heat and add the powdered nuts to the mixture and quickly mix into the sugar syrup. Add the ghee now and this process should take less than 4 minutes. (See Note if your sugar syrup did not reach sugar consistency).
7. Transfer to the greased pan and smooth the top.
8. Let it cool a bit. Now make marks for the required shapes. Cool completely and transfer them to an airtight container.

Note:

As the sugar syrup is getting cooked keep a small bowl of water. Add a few drops of the sugar syrup to the water. If the sugar syrup dissolves in the water it is not ready.

Once the sugar syrup dropped in the water retains its shape. It is ready.

If you added the powdered nuts to the sugar syrup before it reached the string consistency, cook a bit longer till the mixture comes together without sticking to the sides.