Besan-Coconut Burfi ~ The 7-cup Magic for Indian Sweets 101
Experienced cooks would curl up into hardball position. The kitchen novice can crack up. Watching sugar melting for sweets preparation can do that to the cooks. Like Linda mentioned, the softball, the hardball, the numerous stages of sugar syrup have the effect of melting one’s brains.:) Toffees and Burfis turned to payasams, to hard bricks, to concrete mixture – I have seen them all. One recipe that has always come to my rescue during my beginner days of cooking was Besan-coconut burfi. Also known as 7-cup burfi.
7 cups refer to the ingredients’ quantity, which is easy to remember. There is no skill involved to prepare this sweet. Only thing one need is a steel heart. Coconut, sugar and ghee are liberally used and the sweet also liberates one from fear of burfi making. A true delight and Kitchen newbies favorite, I always remember this sweet fondly as 7-cup magic.
1 cup besan (gram flour, shanaga pindi)
1 cup fresh grated coconut
1-2 cups ghee
2 cups sugar – powdered
Cardamom to taste
Wide, sturdy pot, big slotted sturdy spoon and a steel heart.
——- ——-
Place a wide, sturdy pot on stove. Bring to warm on medium-low heat.
Add besan and fry it constantly stirring to copper-toned gold jewelry color.
Add the fresh grated coconut to the besan and fry it for about 5 to 10 minutes again on medium-low heat, until it leaves the raw smell.
Slowly stir in the powdered sugar and cardamom powder.
Mix thoroughly and cook, constantly adding ghee. Until the whole thing comes together to a porous, firm mass. Takes about 20-30 minutes on medium-low heat.
Remove to a ghee-coated plate/pan. Press evenly and cut diamond shaped pieces.
Or shape the mixture to round laddus, once the mixture is cooled enough to touch.
Enjoy the delicious taste of 7-cup burfi.
More 7-cup sweets:
7-cup cake from Vidhya Rajesh
7-cup sweet from Pavani
What a way to remember thing!!!!! 🙂 Nice recipe Indira 🙂
Comment by Rooma — December 8, 2006 @ 11:21 pm
They all look gorgeous,nice presentation:) Great start for JFI coconut!
Wish Jihva had a nice logo to display in our posts Indira, something as beautiful as the name ‘JIHVA’!
Comment by Asha — December 9, 2006 @ 8:34 am
Hi Indira, my turn to laugh out loud now… “the kitchen novice can crack up” :):)
This is beautiful all around. A nice easy recipe and it’s lovely on the plate in that arrangement. I especially enjoyed this description: “stirring to copper toned gold jewelry color”. That’s just what it looks like! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Comment by Linda — December 9, 2006 @ 8:46 am
Steel heart , yeh Indira, You need a steel heart to make burfis. Gudos to you.
Comment by Lakshmiammal — December 9, 2006 @ 8:54 am
Hi Indira
Yes easy to remember. I usually add 1 cup besan, 1 cup milk, 1 cup coconut, 1 cup ghee and 3 cups sugar and mix on medium heat for 20 minutes. Comes out perfect every time. Will try out your version too.
Comment by Lakshmik — December 9, 2006 @ 10:46 am
Hey nice pic there…need to try this recipe..recently i got a recipe for 7 cup burfi frm a friend…but now that i have one frm u i am going to try this one 🙂
Comment by KeralaGirl — December 9, 2006 @ 2:52 pm
Nice recipe and nice pics!! I too make this sweet just in a different way. Your version looks too good except for more ghee. I will definitely try your version.1cup each of coconut, besan,milk,3 cups of sugar and 1 cup of ghee. I just add everything in a thick bottomed bowl and mix on a high heat first, then when the mixture starts boiling, I turn the heat to medium. Mix until the mixture is hard enough to make burfis. Everytime I make this, it comes out great.
Comment by shubha — December 9, 2006 @ 3:15 pm
wow, chala manchi sweet blog chesaru Indira.
Comment by LAKSHMI — December 9, 2006 @ 3:39 pm
Hi Rooma and Lakshmi: Thanks.:)
Asha: I can’t wait to see what you’d comeup for Jan Jihva.:)
I’ve planned to design a logo for Jihva, then I got busy and sidetracked at that time. Perhaps for next year.
Linda: 🙂
Thanks.
Lakshmiammal: Yep, and also to have this dessert. 🙂
LakshmiK and Shubha: Thanks.
Yes, that version is also great. My mother actually prepares like that. I love all versions of this 7 cup burfi.
Hi KG: Easy to prepare, give it a try.:) All versions of 7 cup sweets turn out great usually.
Comment by Indira — December 9, 2006 @ 6:42 pm
Indira, I was craving this speciality that my mom used to make with leftover ghee:) but we used only a couple of table spoon of besan. Nice photos and a very nic ewrite on the food blogging.
Comment by shaheen — December 9, 2006 @ 6:44 pm
Yes I also usually prepare the version with Milk. Will try this one. Was stunned to read your blog on food blogging politics. What a bliss! Ignorant of all this, we readers simply visit a few good sites and just enjoy the recipes!
Comment by Vidhya — December 9, 2006 @ 7:07 pm
Indira, I got so inspired by your sweet yesterday, that I couldn’t help preparing it right away. Surprisingly, the sweet came out very well the first time and my friends were all in praise for it. I took very little credit for it and spread word about you and your wonderful blog. You are doing a brilliant job maintaining this site. I really appreciate the time and effort you put into this. Thanks again for this and the other wonderful recipes on this site. Jaya
Comment by Anonymous — December 10, 2006 @ 8:16 am
Yummy burfis,Indira! I gotta give this a try. Thanks for sharing this delightful recipe.
Comment by Deepu — December 11, 2006 @ 6:16 am
Hi Indira,
The photo looks very “delicious”… Thanks a ton for mentioning my name in your blog !
I feel so honoured..
Vidhya
Comment by Vidhya Rajesh — December 11, 2006 @ 7:57 am
This looks delicious, I have to try it.
Comment by krista — December 12, 2006 @ 8:51 am
Must try this.
Comment by Raveena — December 15, 2006 @ 8:56 am
Ur burfi came out really with with same color.it was too soft.thanks for the recipe
Comment by priya — January 11, 2007 @ 2:26 pm
is it okay to use coconut powder instead of fresh coconut.
Comment by neeraja — August 13, 2007 @ 5:49 pm
how many servings does this make
Comment by liz — October 23, 2007 @ 2:56 pm
Hi did any one try to make any Indian Halwa/Burfi in the oven.
Comment by ppdasi — September 27, 2008 @ 10:30 am
I tried both versions, with and without milk, and both turned out toooo sweet. The flavour of besan and coconut was lost under the overpowering sweetness. Can the sugar be reduced a little bit? Would it change any of the proportions?
Comment by NS — October 28, 2008 @ 11:02 am
Nice presentation!!! I tried this recipie and it came very nice.I want to know what is 8 cup cake
Comment by Pramada — May 7, 2009 @ 12:46 pm
Nice recipe – Definitely much easier to make than the usual sugar syrup ones. However I must agree to one of the above users – the burfi was overly sweet even though I used only 21/2 cups of sugar instead of 3. I think 2 cups of sugar would be just fine.
Comment by Priyu — October 22, 2009 @ 7:28 pm
I tried this exactly the way recipe was given. When powdered sugar was added, it does not melt untill I added few teaspoons of water. I think thats a very important step forgot to add to the recipe. Finally, the recipe came out with excess ghee flowing out of the cake.
Comment by Mamta — October 30, 2009 @ 9:54 pm
I agree with NS. Te sugar content is too much
Comment by Mamta — October 30, 2009 @ 9:56 pm
awesome sweet, very nice recipe
Comment by Lakshmi Devi — January 27, 2010 @ 9:39 pm
Looks beautiful, Indira. In my case, I don’t know what went wrong. Before the sugar could melt, the besan became really dark, close to being burnt. I had to toss the whole batch:-(
Comment by Maya — July 7, 2010 @ 2:43 pm
1 cup is missing in 7 cups it seems. I too prepare this one – 3 cups sugar + 1 cup besan+ 1 cup grated coconut+ 1 cup ghee+ 1cup milk.
Comment by Janaki — October 15, 2010 @ 4:08 am
Hi Indira,
I love ur blog, ur expalnation, pictures accompanied with descriptive words, everything is awesome. I tried this recipe today, but to my utter dissatisfaction, the sugar did not melt in the mixture. I just left it like a sweet tasting powder. Could u pls help me and give some quick fix method to fix the sweet.
Comment by Sai Geetha — February 1, 2011 @ 4:54 pm
Hi Indira
Luved ur blog,but unfortunately to the the sugar dint melt…and i kept on stirring with the hope of it getting melt,which dint happen until i added milk to it…so the 1 cup of milk was a rescue for me.
Comment by FirstAttempt — October 26, 2011 @ 5:27 am
Hi,
I have been dying to make Besan Burfi since I used to get it at the Indian Sweets stores in NYC but no longer live there.
I live with someone who avoids sugar. Is Agave or Maple Syrup a possible replacement for this recipe. I am sure with the coconut it will add some natural sweetness as well.
Thank you for your help.
stephanie
dohstml-at-yahoo
Comment by Stephanie — September 6, 2012 @ 1:54 pm