Barfi Koko
One of Mauritius's most popular Divali sweets
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.