7 Cups Burfi/ 7 Cups Fudge

The first time I had seven cups burfi  is when a neighbor of mine shared it on an occasion. It tasted very delicious and yet different from kaju katli. When asked she told me that it was 7 cups.I was thrilled by the name and googled it to find out the recipe.After seeing the ingredients I understood why it got the name.So I tried it immediately on the following weekend.It is a very easy one as there is no need to boil sugar to a string consistency .Just mix all the ingredients together and keep stirring till the desired consistency for burfi is reached.So it is a fail proof one for all the beginners out there who are trying to make burfi for the first time.

Makes around 35 small burfis

Preparation time:30 minutes

Ingredients:

Gram flour or besan-1 cup

Cashew-1 cup(or coconut flakes-1 cup)

milk-1 cup

Ghee-1 cup

Sugar- 3 cups

Procedure:

1.Grind the cashews to a fine paste.

2.Dry roast the gram flour or besan till you get a nice aroma.Do not brown the flour. Add the cashew paste to it.

3.Now add all the other ingredients to this besan mixture and mix well till no lumps are formed.Keep the flame to a medium and keep stirring.

4.Keep stirring till the mixture thickens and starts leaving the sides of the pan or wok.

5.Pour this mixture on to a greased plate and spread it evenly.Once it cools down slightly ,cut it into squares of equal shape.

6.Store the yummy 7 cups burfi in a dry jar or container.Stays good for 3-4 days when stored at room temperature.

Tips:

* You can add coconut instead for cashews if you like coconut.

* Do not reduce the amount of sugar.

* You can add cardamom powder for an enhanced flavor.

* Roasting the gram flour adds a nice flavor tot the dish.

Inji Puli(Ginger Tamarind Chutney)

A long pending post and the most asked recipe.I very often make this inji puli at home and stock it in fridge.It is basically a recipe from the Palakkad Brahmin cuisine and a common one in their weddings.I look forward to it whenever I get to attend their weddings!They chop the ginger and green chillies into small pieces and add it to the recipe but this recipe varies slightly in texture as I prefer to grind the ginger and green chillies to a fine paste before adding it to the recipe.Enough of blah blah blah...Here is the recipe...

Makes a small jar(around 60-70 gms)

preparation time:20 minutes

Ingredients:

Peeled ginger-50 gms

Green chillies(medium spicy)-5

Tamarind extract- from Big gooseberry  size or 35 g

Sesame oil or gingelly oil-5 tbsp

mustard seeds-1 tsp

Asafoetida or hing-1 tsp

Turmeric powder-1/2 tsp

Jaggery-2 tbsp

salt-  as required

Procedure:

1. Peel the ginger and cut in to cubes.Soak the tamarind in 1/4 cup of water.

2. Grind the green chillies and the ginger in to a fine paste by adding a little water.

3.Heat a wok and add the oil and mustard seeds.Once it splutters add the ginger and chilli paste.Mix well .

4. Add asafoetida ,salt,turmeric powder and the tamarind extract.Mix it well and simmer the flame.
Close the wok with a lid and cook till the oil separates from the mixture.

5.Add the jaggery to the thokku and mix weel.Remove from the heat and once it cools down, store it in a clean and dry glass jar. Refrigerate and usea dry spoon.Yummy Inji Puli Thokku is ready to be served with curd rice. 

Tips:

*Increase or decrease the green chillies based on your spice level.
*Add more jaggery if you are sweet toothed.
*If the mixtures is not sauteed till the oil separates then you might get the raw smell of ginger and is not good for your tummy.