Coconut Burfi / Candied Coconut bars

How to make Coconut Burfi (with step by step pictures)

           Have you ever tried eating freshly grated Coconut with a sprinkle of Sugar on it? It is so succulent & sweet; no wonder it's used to enhance a variety of dishes like Idiyappam & Puttu etc. Now that we know it's a fail-proof combo, how can we doubt the taste of the traditional Thengai Burfi made with just a few simple ingredients at home? My Grandma is known for making this burfi so often, that we started expecting it from her every time we met her; no wonder it's my Dad's favorite sweet from childhood. I made a larger batch so I can share the joy with my friends for the festival of lights. What are you sharing with your dear ones, for this Diwali?

Makes about medium sized 20 pieces

Ingredients:

2 cups tightly packed fresh/frozen grated Coconut(without the brown skin)

2 cups Sugar

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup Cardamom powder

A pinch of Saffron

1 Tsp Cashew bits

1 Tsp Ghee/Oil

• Heat a non-stick kadai with the ghee & roast the Cashew bit in it until golden brown, remove & set aside. Pour out the ghee on to a tray & use it to grease the tray to set the burfi in.
• Add the Sugar & water to the kadai & stir occasionally until you get a thick syrup.(No need to check for any string consistency) 
• 
• Meanwhile, run the grated coconut (without adding any water) in the mixer until it becomes finer in texture. The finer the Coconut the smoother it will be on your throat. 
  
• When the syrup is thick enough, remove any scum/dirt if you have to & dump the ground Coconut into it & stir occasionally on low-medium heat. 

• If you added less Sugar, you can check the sweetness at this point & add more if needed.

• Continue stirring until the mixture thickens, add the Cardamom powder, Saffron & roasted Cashew bits in it & continue stirring occasionally. 
  
• When the mixture is thick enough & becomes one big mass, it's time to turn off the heat. 
  
• You can see the tracks of the ladle in the kadai & the mixture will resemble the consistency of Rawa Kesari.
• Turn off the heat & carefully dump the hot Coconut mixture into the greased tray & shake it gently, so the mixture will move & settle down in the tray. With the back of a wide spoon, smoothen out the surface of the mixture. 
  
• Let it set for about 10 to 15 minutes & score it with a knife to make diamond/square shapes. Do not try to remove it from the tray yet. 
  
• Wait for few more minutes for the burfi to set & remove one by one. Stores well up to a week in an airtight container at room temperature. If your place has dry cold weather, these burfi's will stay fresh for more than 2 weeks.