Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cups almonds, preferably no bitter almonds
- 1 1/4 cups sugar (you may increase it to 1 ½ cup if you want it extra sweet)
- 20 strands of saffron (optional)
- edible silver foil (warq), optional
Instructions:
- Soak the almonds in water overnight.
- Remove the almonds from the water. Add some boiling water to cover the almonds. Cover the bowl with a lid and keep for 10 minutes.
- Drain the water and peel the almonds. The hot water makes the peeling much easier.
- Using a little water, make a fine paste in a mixer. Use as little water as possible – the more water you use, the longer the cooking time
- Empty the paste in a heavy bottomed non-stick pan, add the sugar and mix.
- Place the pan on a high flame, and cook, stirring continously, until the mixture leaves the sides of the pan.
- Add the strands of saffron at this stage and cook further until the mixture forms a lump.
- Transfer it to a tray and let it cool.
- Using a rolling pin, roll out the almond dough to the desired thickness (I used a thickness of approximately 0.6 centimeters, although anything up to 1.5 cm should be ok) and cut with the help of a cookie cutter.
- Carefully put the edible silver foil, if available, on the barfi and gently press the foil onto the barfi with a piece or ball of cotton wool.
- Tastes completely awsome when still warm, but keeps for upto a week in an airtight container.