Author Notes
A Europeanized take on a classic Indian mithai. You don't need an oven to make these, but you do need khoya or mawa (solidified whole milk) which you can purchase at Indian grocery stores or make your own, by cooking down ricotta cheese. The mithai (an umbrella term for Indian sweets) is soft, rich, and bright, perfect to give in a box as a gift, or for welcoming guests into your home (the way mithai is used on many occasions in India, namely Diwali).
This recipe comes from Michelin-starred pastry chef Surbhi Sahni. She helps The Tiffin Project, a charity that trains low-income South Asian immigrant women for careers in the culinary industry in New York City. —Food52
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Ingredients
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1 cup
heavy cream
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1 cup
milk
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2
oranges
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1/2 cup
sugar
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1 pound
white chocolate (chopped)
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1 pound
khoya (grated)
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6 ounces
unsweetened coconut powder, plus 2 tablespoons
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1/4 teaspoon
powdered green cardamom seeds
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5 ounces
semi-sweet dark chocolate
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2 ounces
butter
Directions
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Spray an 8x12-inch baking pan with non-stick spray and cover the bottom with parchment paper cut to size.
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In a heavy-bottomed pot over high heat, bring milk and cream to a boil. Reduce heat to low, and stir the mixture continuously until it is reduced by half and has a thick consistency. This milk reduction is called rabri.
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Zest the oranges, and add the zest and sugar to the rabri. Increase heat to medium, and cook until the sugar has melted and the rabri begins to bubble.
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Reduce heat to low, and add white chocolate, khoya, and 6 ounces of coconut powder. After the addition of the coconut, the mixture will get quite thick and will look like it is about to set. (If it is at all thin or runny, add more coconut.) Add powdered cardamom seeds and mix well.
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Pour the mixture into the prepared baking pan. Spread evenly, and level the top. Refrigerate for 6 hours.
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Once set, use a knife to loosen the burfi, but keep it in the pan. Temper dark chocolate and butter in a double boiler, and pour over the set burfi. Sprinkle remaining coconut on top.
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Return to refrigerator and allow chocolate topping to cool and harden. To serve, cut burfi into square or diamond shapes.
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