Recipe: Pistachio & Lemon Sea Salt Barfi

The addition of lemon zest and crunchy sea salt flakes create a very Moorish sweet to enjoy at the end of a meal.

There is something so comforting about a barfi. These sweet delights come in many variations but nut barfi’s are my favourite and here is a contemporary twist on pista barfi. The addition of lemon zest and crunchy sea salt flakes cuts through the sweetness and nuttiness to create a very Moorish sweet to enjoy at the end of a meal.

Preparation time: 20 minutes plus setting time of 30 minutes

Cooking time: 15 minutes

Makes: about 10-12 small barfi balls, depending on size

ingredients

Ground pistachios 1-1/2 cup

Water 1/2 cup

Caster sugar 3/4 cup

Cream milk powder 4 tbsp

Cardamom powder 1/2 tsp

Sea salt flakes 1/2 tsp

Lemon zest 1/2 tsp

Ghee 2 tsp

method

1. In a wok-like pan heat the ghee and fry 1 1/2 cup of pistachio powder. Keep stirring to prevent the powder from turning brown. Turn off the heat once you can smell the slightly cooked nutty smell, and add the cardamom and milk powder.

2. In a saucepan, heat the water and add the sugar to make a thin single thread consistency sugar syrup — what is called ‘Ekk taar’

3. Now add the pistachio to the sugar syrup and stir until it is all combined. Once it has cooled (approx. 6-8 minutes), place on a clean surface and knead into a firm workable dough. Cover with cling film to prevent the dough from drying out.

4. Pull off about 1 1/2 tsp of the dough and form golf-size balls (or smaller) and set them on a greased plate.

5. Mix the 1/2 cup of ground pistachio left with lemon zest and sea salt in a shallow plate. Roll each ball in this and set on a clean plate.

6. Allow to set for about 30 minutes to an hour before eating. This keeps well covered for up to a week in the fridge or outside for 5 days.

Sumayya Jamil is a lawyer-turned-food writer and cookery teacher in London, who is on a mission to promote the love of Pakistani food in the UK. She blogs at pukkapaki.com

Published in The Express Tribune, Ms T, September 23^rd, 2012.

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