Besan ki Burfi :: Besan barfi :: Gram flour fudge

Here I would take the pleasure of introducing you to my guest of this month. Well, not exactly introducing.. many of you must already be knowing her.. Since she and her space is not something you can easily forget after passing through. I bet you will stop, have a look, wander around and find out atleast one keeper for your bookmarks. Suchismita from kitchen Karma, the name and the Logo itself reflects the kind of Energy this lady comprehends. And let me tell you, you will not be surprised to see her in real life, She will just be like you might have imagined.. a cheery and colourful personality, just like her Blog . Bubbly and humorous, my friend is bound to become your fav too :)

Basically from Kolkata, this Bong girl has seen the world with places like Toronto, Oxford and now London. I couldn't believe when she told me that she has completed an M.Phil in International Studies from JNU in India. No… I trust her wit.. Its just, I always thought that people who take such higher studies.. are kind of boring.. She has proved my theories entirely wrong now.. She loves to read, and like me gets panic if she doesn't have anything to read with her. Shhh !! I am actually planning to get her in Book Club as well now ;) Plus she does painting, DIY and Home décor for pass time, along with the Latest bug of Photography and Travelling places off course :).. Now, can you say she really has studied that much ?? She aint boring at all…

The other blog she holds is "Hold A Thought, Pen It Down". Go have a look, and dont forget to read her "Sushi Story" series.. Am sure you will find it fun and amusing. Suchi dear, you really should write a book, you have all the "Guns" of a true writer. 

When asked about how long has she been blogging, she said “I have been blogging in Hold A Thought since 2006, but Kitchen Karma is relatively new. I started KK this year in January. I started Hold A Thought because at that time I used to be incredibly busy and more and more I felt that I did not have time for my personal thoughts.  Hence an effort to take a break and jot down random thoughts. Kitchen Karma is different-- it  is an effort to share with the world all the experiments that happen in my kitchen” 

The need to tell her stories her way is what keeps her motivated.. We all can guess that now,, cant we :)

When being asked about her fav cuisine she replied “ Of course ghar ka khana, specifically Bengali cuisine, generally Indian. Apart from that I have a real soft corner for all the cuisines of South East Asian region be in Chinese, Thai, Vietnamese, Korean, Mongolian, Malaysian, Singaporean et al. You name it; I have tried it and love it. I feel there is some deep connection there "

The spontaneity in her blog appeals me most, you can see that her post, and this one  is my personal favourite.. I laughed hard while reading this first time and since then I might have read it a few times with warm smile in my heart. And this one where she is talking about her Venice trip, I really wanted to go back to the same place over and over again. Love the clicks.. and the description style. 

Suchi is a true Bong, and that reflects truely in her writing style and the topics she picks up. Off course in her recipes too. Like this post, where she has described the Phuckas of the Kolkata city.. have a look and you will be amazed to see the descriptive pics and simple recipe. You will see how she incorporates cartoons, her own paintings and even some family pictures which gives you more sense of connection while reading. Since am a Vegetarian, I cant comment much on her non-veg recipes, but am sure looking at them any mouth would water up :)

Some of Suchi's answers in her own language 

• Any experience that prompted you your interest in Blogging: I  shifted  to  the  UK  in  2009  two  months  after  my  marriage.  I  started  missing  home  food, street  food,  and  restaurant  food  from  back  home.  And  I  had  a  lot  of  time  in  my  hand.  So I  started  cooking  whichever  dish  I  was  craving  at  that  point  and  before  long  friends  were telling me that I had become a Great Cook. And before I knew, cooking had become a Major Hobby.
• Any Message for the readers : Please keep reading and commenting . :)

Off to Suchi now: 

I am delighted to do this guest post for my dear friend Nupur. Blogging is a wonderful experience (well mostly) and during this journey you make many friends. Some if you are lucky enough come out of the web world and get to meet in real life. That is what happened to Nupur and me and a bunch of some other bloggers based in the UK. Last month we met; all of us a little apprehensive and then we hit it off as if we were long lost friends.

It’s funny how perceptions change when you meet someone in real life. When I knew Nupur as the author behind her blog UK Rasoi I used to think she is the mother of two children. Uninformed, ha? Oh well certainly. Then we met and she turned out to be this super hard working girl who leads an extraordinarily busy life and still has the zest for her blog. She is super fun to hang out with and makes a mean dal makhni and awesome parathas.

Now, onto the recipe :

Dimma. My maternal grandmother. Whenever I think of her, I feel enveloped in love. She is the perfect grandmother-- she loves and spoils me to bits, yet does not hesitate to give me a lecture, if and when she feels the need. She is one spunky and sassy lady, full of enthusiasm for life. Recently I was craving for one of her homemade sweets, so I called her and she was so excited that I was going to make one of her recipes.

I made this for Ganesh Chaturthi, an auspicious day in the Hindu calendar, when Ganesh, the elephant headed God of Knowledge is worshipped in every home. Folklore is that Ganesh ji loves laddus (rounded sweets), Besan ka laddu (sweets shaped like balls, made with chickpea flour) is a popular prasad (offering) to the God.

I did not make Besan ka laddu, instead made an easier version that my grandmother makes. This is a very simple sweet made with chickpea flour that stays for a long time (at least two weeks and no need to refrigerate it either). My grandmother would mostly have this and narkol naru (coconut sweet) in her pantry. How I love raiding her pantry to discover these goodies. 

Sharing my grandmother's recipe. [This quantity makes roughly 20 barfis. Its takes around an hour to make this and another to cool it down.]

• 2 cups of besan/chickpea flour
• 1 cup of sugar
• 1 cup ghee/clarified butter (Dimma uses homemade ghee)
• 1 cup dry milk (my grandmother uses homemade condensed milk, I used store bought dried milk)
• 2/3 chhota eliachi/cardamom finely ground
• Slivers of almonds and raisins for garnish

This is what my grandma does:

i. In a heavy bottomed pan (korai) slowly dry roast the chickpea flour. This has to be done at very low
heat and you have to continuously stir the flour, so that it does not burn. The flour will slowly change
colour and also roasted smell will start coming. This is one heck of a test of patience. As you can see
mine turned brown as I was a bit impatient. Takes about 20 mins to half an hour. Gives you a hand
ache for sure, but so worth the effort once these barfis are ready!

ii. Once the flour starts smelling roasted and turns golden yellow, keep it on a plate. In the same pan,
add the ghee/clarified butter ( I started with half a cup, but the besan could not mix well, so gave in

and added the full amount) and let it become smoking hot. Once the fumes start coming out of the
ghee, turn the flame down to low and slowly add the roasted flour. Keep mixing with the ghee.

iii. Then add the sugar and the powdered milk. Mix it all together very well; if the mixture turns too
dry and does not mix well, you can add a couple of table spoons of ghee at this stage. I know this
sweet is a ghee sucking venture, but for the sake of the taste, add on. It’s the ghee which holds the
whole thing together.

iv. Last but not least add the cardamom powder.

v. Take tray oil it well, pour the hot mixture on the tray and spread evenly with a spatula. Sprinkle
the nuts and raisins.

vi. After 5 mins or so, take a knife and lightly score lines and shape the barfis. (You cannot do this,
if the mixture has cooled down and hardened.) Let it cool down for at least an hour or more before
serving.

Enjoy your Besan Ka Barfi.

I can go on and on on this lovely Lady, but for now, let me hand over to her. If you want to be a part of this Guest post , please email me at nupurs.kitchen@gmail.com. For more information, click here.