Diwali 2022 is just around the corner and I couldn't skip another year of not making any desserts (oh hey gestational diabetes 2021!). This Diwali I am sharing my super simple recipe for Indian fudge, or barfi - a delicate blend of rose, pistachio and saffron making this the most delicious dessert to impress your people. It's so simple to make, yet bursting with flavor and only requires a few ingredients.
The body of the barfi is basically fudge - this particular dessert is made with white chocolate, cardamom, pistachios and condensed milk - a favorite ingredient of mine when it comes to Indian desserts. To flavor the fudge, I made two layers - one with saffron milk and the other with rose flavoring. To make saffron milk, you simply heat up milk with saffron threads. For the pink layer, I used Rooh Afza which gives the rose flavoring and pink color. If you can't find Rooh Afza then you can use rose extract with pink food coloring. Alternatively, you can make this barfi in one flavor, or try multiple different flavors outside of what I have used and layer as you like.
The fudge will be good for around two weeks in the fridge (although I can't guarantee it will last that long!). This barfi is perfect for gifting, or you can make this along with some of my other Indian sweets recipes to create a little chai-cuterie board for your Diwali guests. The best thing is that it will take you less than an hour from taking out the ingredients to washing the dishes.
Rose, Pistachio & Saffron Fudge
Prep Time: 5 mins Total Time: 20 mins
Ingredients
10g unsalted butter, divided
400g white chocolate chips or chopped chocolate bar, divided
200g sweetened condensed milk, divided
1/2 cup pistachio, divided
1 teaspoon of ground cardamom seeds, divided
3 tablespoons of dried rose petals, reserve some for garnish
2 tablespoons of milk
10-15 saffron threads, reserve some for garnish
1 1/2 tablespoon of Rooh Afza (see above for alternative)
Method
Grease a container or tray you will let the fudge set in with butter, then line it with baking paper.
After, place two heavy bottom pans on low heat.
Add 5g of unsalted butter, 200g of white chocolate and 100g of sweetened condensed milk to each pan.
Stir frequently until fully homogenous, around 5 minutes. It should separate from the pan entirely and all come together like dough.
In a separate pot, heat 2 tablespoons of milk with saffron threads until it comes to a boil and slightly reduces. Set aside.
Going back to the fudge, add 1/4 cup of pistachio and 1/2 teaspoon of ground cardamom seeds to each of the fudge mixes and stir until combined.
To one of the fudge mixtures, add 1 1/2 tablespoons of Rooh Afza, and 3 tablespoons of dried rose petals. Stir to combine. The pink fudge is ready.
To the other fudge mixture, add 1 1/2 tablespoons of the warm saffron milk along with the saffron threads. Stir to combine. The yellow fudge is ready.
Place one layer into the container you prepared earlier, pressing it down with a spatula.
Then place the second layer on top of the first, gently spreading it with a spatula.
You can garnish the top layer with saffron, rose petals or more pistachio.
Place this into the fridge to set for 2 hours.
Once set, take it out of the fridge letting it rest for thirty minutes, then cut into desired size pieces.
