Thengai Burfi | Coconut Burfi | Coconut Fudge

Finally, the much awaited festival has arrived! The elder one at home is very eager to show off her Diwali dress to her friends for she gets to wear it on the day following Diwali to school! Yay!!! She has got matching bangles,hair clips and everything else to go with her new dresses and she is surely very happy. And the Lil one is still not sure what all the hustle is all about but is very happy to taste all the sweets and savouries that are being prepared at home.

And in the kitchen I have been experimenting with new sweets , traditional ones, for Diwali.As I mentioned in the Mysore Pak recipe post, I am not so sure when it comes to syrup based sweets but this year I made it a point to try a few of them and the festive season seems just the right time to try them out.

I made this Coconut Burfi two days back . I attended a confectionery course a couple of years ago and this was the first recipe we learnt. This seemed very easy when our instructor made it and she explained it with a candy thermometer and also showed us how to check the right consistency if you don’t have a thermometer at hand.

I opted for the easier way and used the candy thermometer. We had the recipe given in grams and as I don’t have a weighing scale, used the cup measurement. The first time I made it , the burfi was a bit on the sweeter side. The same night I made another batch and reduced the sugar level and it was perfect. I could hardly believe that I had made this! And the best part was that I didn’t even use a candy thermometer to check the right consistency! Yay!! I think I finally mastered the art of burfi making!!!!

This Burfi is for this week’s Cooking with Cookbook Challenge as I made this using the recipe from the book was given at the confectionery course .

I used:

Coconut,grated – 2 cups packed
Sugar- 2 cups
Milk – 1 1/2 cups
Ghee- 1 teaspoon

1. Break a coconut and chop into small pieces. Remove the brown color part, the one that is nearer to the shell. This is essential because we need the burfi to be white in  color and not speckled with brown dots. Grind them in a  mixie. For this put the pieces in the mixie and pulse it a few times. Don’t grind it for a long time, else you will end up with a paste!

If this method seems tedious, grate the coconut but don’t go down to the brown part.

2. Grease a tray with ghee and keep aside. Heat milk and add sugar. Wait till the sugar dissolves completely.

3. Once the milk comes to a boil, add the grated coconut and mix well. The mixture will be very watery but that is how it will be so no worries. Keep cooking and keep stirring. It will be bubbling over so stir carefully.

Scrape off the coconut sticking to the sides and keep stirring.It will be watery and you can hardly see the grated coconut for a while. But there is absolutely no need to worry.

4. The mixture will thicken gradually. Check with the Candy thermometer and when it is around 120 degree C[see note below], check if the sides leave the pan. Now the mixture is almost ready.

If you don’t have a candy thermometer, here is how you can check the ideal consistency. As the mixture thickens, you will be able to see the bottom of the pan. At one stage, the mixture would have lost most of its moisture and when you make a line on the mixture with the ladle, the bottom of the pan will be visible for a few seconds before the mixture closes in.

Its now time to pour it into the greased tray. Smoother it with a ladle and tap it gently a couple of times so that it is evenly spread.

After a few minutes, while it is still warm, mark squares on the burfi.

5. Once cooled, separate the squares. Store in an airtight box

Or enjoy immediately!

Note :

• You can use frozen coconut. Just thaw it before using. 
• If using desiccated coconut, add another half cup milk to the above recipe.
• To get a more ‘coconuty’ flavor, you can add a few drops of coconut essence in the final step – i.e just before pouring it into the tray. Once the stage is reached, remove from heat and quickly stir in essence and immediately pour into the tray. This step must be done very, very fast.
• My SIL add a teaspoon of coconut oil at the end to get that ‘coconuty’ flavor.’
• You can use part milk and part water or it can be made with just water alone. But there will be a very slight change in taste. The one with milk is more richer.
• Cardamom powder can be used. Add it when the mixture starts thickening.
• Tutti frutti, roasted nuts, dried fruits can also be added. 
• The mixture bubbles over and spills quite a bit. So use a large pan or a deep vessel. You can also protect yourself by wearing long sleeves 🙂
• The fugde temperature is somewhere around 121- 125 degree C so keep a close watch from 115 degrees onward.
• The consistency is very important. If it is let just a little bit longer on the stove, it will harden and crumble. 

This post is for the Cookbook Challenge of the month….

Also linking this to Sowmya’s event – Only Diwali Treats , an event started by Pari of Foodelicious