Recently we had been to Chickpet in Bangalore to show my father-in-law that part of the city. We happened to turn into a lane that had wholesame condiment & grocery shops. Here we came by a shop which sold only dry fruits.
This places had every kind of dry fruit, and varieties both local and from around the world. When it came to cashew nut, the guy sold 3 types of nut: tiny bit pieces (called nooka), broken pieces mostly halves (called badda), whole cashews.
On seeing the nooka, which is not available in shops normally, my father-in-law remembered a recipie for burfi.
This burfi too has a history:
We hail from Vetapalem in AP. This places is best known for 2 things: cashew nuts, and telugu literature. The cashew nuts are mostly exported, and not found easily in shops because of the high quality. Whenever my husband’s grand-mother came visiting, she would bring the nooka from there, and my mother-in-law would prepare this sweet.
After reaching home, and a brief conversation with my mother-in-law which included details on how to make the burfi, I was set to make this. A small credit goes to my husband here for telling me how to gauge the thickness of the sugar syrup. 🙂
Ingredients:
3 cups cashewnut nooka
2 cups sugar
1 cup water
Method:
- Add water to the sugar and set on a medium flame. Stir intermittently.
- Keep cooking till it reaches single-string consistency.
- A simple way to figure this out is to put a drop is a small bowl of water. If the drop remains a blob that can be moulded with your fingers while in the water, then the syrup is ready. Longer, and the sugar will become hard.
- Take off the flame and add the cashewnut nooka while stirring constantly.
- Grease a plate with ghee, and spread the hot cashewnut mixture into an even layer.
- When partially cooled, cut into burfi shapes and leave to cool completely.
Store in an air-tight container.
Vegetarian Cuisine from South India 