As a kid growing up in Mauritius, one of the highlights of your year is Divali. And the anticipation of the sweets that will be on offer. Barfi is one of the most popular Divali sweets in Mauritius. Read on to discover our fast and easy recipe for Barfi Koko.
7 ingredients | 13 steps | 25 min
Why You Need This Recipe
- You can make this hugely popular Divali sweet in less than 30 minutes!
- Our recipe does not use ghee, khoya or mawa. Hence the ingredients should be easier to source.
- Make Barfi Koko without condensed milk to reduce the sugar content.
About Barfi
Without a doubt, Barfi is one of the most popular Indian sweets in Mauritius. While it is one of the most commonly shared sweets during Divali, it is also enjoyed throughout the year. Indians and Mauritians make all types of Barfi in flavours including coconut, pistachio, cardamon (elayti), vanilla, rose and chocolate.
Barfi is known under many variations to the name. Some examples include Barfee, Burfi, Bulfi and Borfi. There is also variations to the traditional recipe that use gram flour, called Besan Barfi.
What You Will Need
Baking Paper
You will be using a baking tray to cook the Barfi Koko. While you could bake them without any lining, you might find it tricky to remove the Barfi once they are cooked.
Star Ingredient
Coconut (koko)
There are few fruits that are more deeply entrenched in Mauritian cuisine than coconut. Originally from south-east Asia, coconut is the fruit of the coconut palm (Cocos nucifera). It is smooth and light green or orange in colour when unripe. Then it turns brown and is covered with a thick layer of brown ligneous fibres surrounding the nut when ripe.
Scroll to the bottom to find the full list of ingredients and detailed recipe.
Prepping Tips
What is Desiccated Coconut?
When ripe, the insides of the nut can be scraped out and dried (desiccated). After it has been dried, the desiccated coconut can be shredded or flaked. While you could attempt to shred your own, it might be more time efficient to buy desiccated coconut from your local Asian grocery store.
Traditionally made desiccated coconut will be unsweetened. However, some more modern and commercial versions carry more moisture and contain added sugar.
Complete Recipe Steps
Here’s a summary of the steps you need to follow to make Barfi Koko.
1
Line a baking tray with baking paper. Keep aside. Lining the tray makes it easy to remove the Barfi. If you don’t have baking paper, grease the tray with ghee or oil. Don’t skip this step.
2
Heat a large thick-bottomed pan on medium-low heat. Add milk, cream and sugar to the pan and mix well.
Scroll to the bottom for the printable recipe card
3
Stir intermittently until the sugar melts and the mixture starts to boil. Stirring prevents milk from burning or sticking to the bottom of the pan. Add the desiccated coconut and mix until well combined.
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Put this tray aside to set at room temperature. Alternatively, you can put the tray in the fridge while we prepare the second layer.
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Spread this pink mixture on top of the white layer. Make sure it covers the white layer completely. Using a spatula, press and pack the mixture until it is smooth.
13
How to Serve Barfi Koko
While it might be a popular Divali sweet, Barfi is great all year round. Unsurprisingly, it pairs beautifully with a hot cup of milk tea or chai. If you want to add a little bit of pizzazz to your Barfi, decorate it with edible silver leaves, pistachios and dry rose petals.
Recipe FAQs
How much baking paper should I use?
Line the tray with baking paper such that there is extra around the edges. That extra paper serves as a handle to hold, lift and transfer the Barfi out of the tray.
What if my desiccated coconut is too coarse?
If your desiccated coconut has larger gratings, process it in the food processor to get it to a powder or finer consistency. This helps the Barfi set better. Pulse in shorter intervals to avoid making the coconut greasy from the oils released.
Can I use fresh or frozen coconut?
You can also use fresh grated coconut or frozen coconut for this recipe. Fresh and frozen coconut both have a higher moisture content so may need additional cooking time.
What should my Barfi mixture look like?
Do not overcook the coconut mixture otherwise the Barfi will become dry and crumbly and will be difficult to set.
Similarly, if the Barfi mixture is extra moist then it won’t set properly. It should be dense (thick), not crumbly, moist to touch (not wet), and should hold its shape when rolled into a ball.
Can I use different colours and flavours for my Barfi?
For the top pink layer, I have used rose water and red food colouring but you can use any flavour or colour of choice. Pistachio essence and green food colouring is another great option. Or simply skip the colour and make it a single-layer Barfi.
Printable Recipe Card
Barfi Koko
Ingredients
- 4 cups desiccated coconut
- 250 ml milk full cream
- 1 cup thickened cream for whipping
- 1 cup sugar adjusted to taste
- ½ tsp cardamon ground
- ½ tsp rose water
- 2 drops red food colour for pink layer
Complete Recipe Steps
- Line a baking tray with baking paper. Keep aside. Lining the tray makes it easy to remove the Barfi. If you don’t have baking paper, grease the tray with ghee or oil. Don’t skip this step.
- Heat a large thick-bottomed pan on medium-low heat. Add milk, cream and sugar to the pan and mix well.250 ml milk, 1 cup thickened cream, 1 cup sugar
- Stir intermittently until the sugar melts and the mixture starts to boil. Stirring prevents milk from burning or sticking to the bottom of the pan.
- Add the desiccated coconut and mix until well combined.4 cups desiccated coconut
- Cook the Barfi Koko mixture on medium heat. The mixture will start to thicken. Make sure you keep stirring the mixture as you do not want to burn or brown the mixture.
- Continue cooking for approximately 20 minutes until all the liquid is absorbed and you reach a consistency where the Barfi Koko mixture is dense (thick) yet moist. The time may vary for you depending on the heat and pan you’re using.
- At this point, add the cardamom powder and mix until well combined.½ tsp cardamon
- When the Barfi Koko mixture starts to leave the sides of the pans, this is an indication that it's ready to set. Another way to test the mixture is to roll a small amount of Barfi coco mixture into a ball. If it retains the shape, then the mixture is ready to set.
- Turn off the heat and take the pan off the stove. Again, you do not want to overcook or brown the mixture.
- Stir for a couple more minutes after the heat is off to prevent the mixture from overcooking or burning with residual heat.
- Divide Barfi Koko mixture into two equal parts.
- For the first layer: Transfer half of the mixture to the lined tray.
- Spread it into a 7 x 9 inch (18cm x 23cm) block using a spatula. You can vary the Barfi thickness and size to your preference.
- Use the spatula to really pack the mixture into a tight block. Leaving it loose will cause the Barfi to crumble so make sure to pack it tightly! It’s important not to rush this part of the process. Smooth and level out the top of the Barfi using the spatula.
- Put this tray aside to set at room temperature. Alternatively, you can put the tray in the fridge while we prepare the second layer.
- For the second layer, add 1-2 drops of red food colour along with rose water to the remaining half of the mixture in the pan.½ tsp rose water, 2 drops red food colour
- Mix until well combined. You should end up with a light pink colour.
- Spread this pink mixture on top of the white layer. Make sure it covers the white layer completely.
- Using a spatula, press and pack the mixture until it's smooth. Set it in the fridge for 1 hour or for 15-20 mins in the freezer. Your Barfi Koko is now ready to be devoured!
Notes
- Line the tray with baking paper such that there is extra around the edges. That extra paper serves as a handle to hold, lift and transfer the Barfi out of the tray.
- If your desiccated coconut has larger gratings, process it in the food processor to get it to a powder or finer consistency. This helps the Barfi set better. Pulse in shorter intervals to avoid making the coconut greasy from the oils released.
- You can dry roast the coconut on low heat for a couple of minutes to intensify the coconut flavour. Be careful not to change the colour of the coconut while roasting.
- You can also use fresh grated coconut or frozen coconut for this recipe. Fresh and frozen coconut both have a higher moisture content so may need additional cooking time.
- Do not overcook the coconut mixture otherwise the Barfi will become dry and crumbly and will be difficult to set.
- Similarly, if the Barfi mixture is extra moist then it won’t set properly. It should be dense (thick), not crumbly, moist to touch (not wet), and should hold its shape when rolled into a ball.
- Press and pack the layers tight. Failure to do so can result in crumbly Barfi. No one wants crumbly Barfi! Use a spatula to level and even it out. Try to take your time for this step.
- For the top pink layer, I have used rose water and red food colouring but you can use any flavour or colour of choice. Kewra water (pandan essence) and green food colouring is another great option. Or simply skip the colour and make it a single-layer Barfi Koko.
