Almond Haven aka Badam Burfi

Diwali is round the corner and preparations are on with cleaning the house, putting up the lights, and preparing sweets and savories that are customary for this festival. While growing up, we looked forward to the two-week vacation more than anything else. New clothes, crackers, and lots of snacks were the bonus. That Diwali was around the corner was obvious from the cartloads of diyas, candles, tea-lights, rangoli colors, and rangoli stencils that flooded the market. The shops were all lit up and on display were hampers with sweets and dry fruits and other gift items. On sale was the ubiquitous "star" and "disco" lights also.

In Mumbai, these snacks and sweets are called faraal. Preparations and plans for making faraal began weeks back. The aunties in the locality would discuss what faraal to make and what things were to be bought. Those were the days when supermarkets were not there and readymade flour was not available. Therefore, just before Diwali, the flour mill saw an influx of steel dabbas with different dals and cereals that were needed to make these goodies. The afternoons were reserved for grinding these items at the flour mills and housewives would then get down to making two or three items per day. Children on vacation would hover around to sample it and the elders would give their ‘initial reactions’ on how it turned out.

Cut to the present, with only the two of us at home, and in a different city than Mumbai, Diwali is as much or as little as we make it to be. Till date I enjoy the excitement that surrounds this festival - whether it is buying those cute diyas or drawing out a few awkward rangolis or making faraal at home. The cleaning is on, one set of lights are out, I want to buy some new diyas and along with that today I started on making the faraal. I decided to start on a sweet note with an Almond / Badam Burfi. The only thing about making these goodies is that it is requires strong will and steely resolve on my part to make it last till Diwali and in the case of hubby dear the only way is to hide it from him.

Almond / Badam Burfi

Ingredients

Almonds - 1 cup

Sugar - 1/2 cup

Water - 1/3 cup

Almond essence - 3 to 4 drops (optional)

Ghee - 2 tbsp

Food Color (optional)

for garnishing

saffron strands - small pinch

crushed almonds - 1 tsp

Grease the pan you will set the burfi in and keep aside. Heat water in a saucepan and when it boils add the almonds / badam and take off the heat. Keep aside for an hour. After an hour wash the almonds and skin them, it will be easy to do this now. Grind the almonds to a fine paste with a little water.

In a saucepan, add the sugar to the remaining water and heat till it is of one-string consistency. Heat a kadhai or any heavy bottomed vessel and add the sugar syrup and almond paste and stir and mix it well. Keep on low heat and stir often if not continuously. Add the almond essence and keep stirring till the whole mix comes together and starts leaving the sides of the pan. Spoon a little of the ghee around the almond mix and bring it together. When the mix comes together completely into a ball smear the rest of the ghee on it and put it into the greased pan. Use a square or rectangle pan for ease of cutting the burfi into shape.

Sprinkle the crushed saffron and the crushed almonds on the burfi and keep it in the refrigerator to set.

This recipe for Almond Haven aka Badam Burfi is going to these events :

-  "Diwali Special" hosted by gayathriscookspot.

&

-  "Diwali Bash 2013" hosted by cooksjoy.

-  "Diwali Delicacies Event" jointly hosted by priyaeasyntastyrecipes & spicytreats

-  "Spotlight: Festival Treats" hosted by cuisinedelights

Pear Banana Smoothie

Fresh and seasonal fruits should be used in smoothies, that makes them full of flavor and naturally sweet. For the last few weeks, the local weekly market had an abundance of pears both the soft and the crisp kind. Just like an apple, it is a delight to bite into a crisp pear. BTW pears are from the apple family. I wanted the soft pear or babugosha as it is called in Delhi, to be the dominant taste in this smoothie. Hence I used 1 pear to half a banana. Again, same as my earlier smoothies I don't think this smoothie needs a sweetener. The pear and banana makes this smoothie really sweet. I used fruits that were ripe but not excessively so; use them at its peak of ripeness to completely relish its flavor and sweetness. Also, under-ripe fruits do not make a smoothie great.

Ingredients
Almonds - 12 to 15
Pear - 1 soft variety
Banana - half

Soak the almonds overnight, so that the almonds are ground well. Grind the almonds with about half cup water till completely smooth. You can lessen the water to get a thicker consistency. Skin and core the pear and dice them. Dice the banana as well. Add the pear and banana to the blender with the ground almonds and blend till completely smooth. The smoothie is ready.

 

The pear has a lot of benefits, it is known for its dietary fiber, anti-oxidants, minerals and vitamins. It has moderate amounts of antioxidant flavonoids phyto-nutrients such as beta-carotene, lutein and zea-xanthin. These compounds, along with vitamin C and A, help to keep  the body protected from harmful free radicals. The fruit is a good source of minerals such as copper, iron, potassium, manganese and magnesium as well as B-complex vitamins such as folates, riboflavin and pyridoxine (vitamin B-6). It also has one of the lowest calories in the fruit family. Its dietary fiber helps prevent colon and breast cancer and keeping the cholesterol count low.

Almonds and Almond milk

Most of us grew up with our moms feeding us almonds / badaam during are growing years. They were said to be good for our brains and of course as children we needed all the help to tackle loads of school work. Mothers were advised to give their daughters a few almonds from the age of 5, it supposedly helped them during their menstruation years. Almonds are rich in Vitamin E and Folate, as well as monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. They are an excellent source of phytosterols, which reduces the level of harmful cholesterol. Traditionally, it is considered the best to eat almonds raw even roasting it kills some of its nutrients. In fact, most times the almonds we get in stores are pasteurized and the processing has already killed some nutrients. But even after that it is still rich in vitamins and minerals. Soaking is considered good since it helps in activating enzymes aiding better digestion and absorption of nutrients.

Adding almonds into the daily diet is very easy - have a handful of soaked almonds in the morning or add them chopped into cereal, smoothie,  or fruit salad or just keep a boxful in the office to munch on sometime during the day. I have found eating them raw as a snack along with some walnuts and raisins helps in keeping hunger at bay. And lately, I have also added natural homemade almond milk to my diet. Almond milk is very easy to make, take a bowl of almonds and soak it for 1 to 2 days. Change the water twice during this time and then grind it well in a grinder. Soaking helps the almonds soften and it gets ground better. Add a little water when grinding. Strain the mix and keep aside. Grind the strained mix with some more water and strain once again. Water can be added according to how thick you want the milk.

Almond milk has a natural sweetness and can be had straight with no additions. Or blend a fruit or 2 in to make a very healthy smoothie. In fact if using the almond milk for a smoothie, don't strain after grinding it. The leftover strained mush can be added to cereal, smoothies, parathas, etc. Almond milk is a great option for the lactose intolerant and vegans.