Badam Katli / Barfi and Happy Diwali!

Wishing you all a very Happy Diwali - the Inidan festival of light. Hope this festival brings loads of luck, love and laughter. 

Sweets and festivals always go hand in hand and that certainly brings a smile to my face. I try and make traditional indian sweets and food on festivals. It makes the day special and I don't miss my loved ones back home too much. 

Badam katli or Badam Barfi is a sweet made out of almonds. It resembles very much the European marzipan, the main difference being that the indian version is without the bitter almonds.

This sweet is a must during Diwali at our place. My mother in law has been making this for years and I learned this recipe from her and ever-since, I have been making this on Diwali too.

The traditional Indian version would normally be without saffron and have a diamond shape. I didn't use the traditional diamond shape but rather cut the barfi pieces with a cookie cutter. Whatever the shape, the taste is just exceptional. Hope you like them too :-)

Ingredients

1 1/2 cup - almonds, preferably no bitter almonds

1 1/4 cup - sugar (you may increase it to 1 1/2 cup if you want it extra sweet)

15-20 strands of saffron (optional)

edible silver foil (warq), optional

Method

1. Soak the almonds in water overnight.
2. 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.
3. Drain the water and peel the almonds. The hot water makes the peeling much easier. 
4. 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
5. Empty the paste in a heavy bottomed non-stick pan, add the sugar and mix.
6. Place the pan on a high flame, and cook, stirring continously, until the mixture leaves the sides of the pan. 
7. Add the strands of saffron at this stage and cook further until the mixture forms a lump. 
8. Transfer it to a tray and let it cool.
9. 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. 
10. 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. 
11. Tastes completely awsome when still warm, but keeps for upto a week in an airtight container. 

Happy Diwali!