Momma's Special Deepavali Chocolate Barfi

Every year this barfi was the highlight of our lives. Seriously. Bouncing around the kitchen in unbearable excitement so we could eat the scraping and poke the goo before it set. This year I got her to direct me to make it and voila! Le recipe. I am told it is also called 3 cups barfi, and you can replace the cocoa with ground almonds, cashews, anything you want.

1 cup besan (chickpea flour)

2-2.5 cups sugar (depending on how sweet you want it and whether the milk powder is sweetened)

1 cup milk

.25 - .5 cups milk powder

1 cup cocoa powder

1 cup ghee

equipment: 1 thick bottomed kadhai (wok), nonstick is possible but we make it in stic, with a big metal ladle for scraping so think about it.

big ladle/spatula the round kind with holes in it

a wide metal plate with a lip

Mix the milk powder into half the milk, and the cocoa into the other half. Set aside. Grease the plate with ghee and set aside. Mix the besan and sugar together in the kadhai, then add the ghee and mix it up well. Put it on a medium flame and keep stirring. The ghee will melt and the sugar will dissolve and eventually it'll become a smooth paste. Add the milk powder mixture. Keep stirring. In about 7-8 minutes, add the cocoa mixture. Keep stirring. (There's a LOT of stirring!) The mixture will start getting lighter, thicker and much heavier. Stir and stir, lifting from the bottom and turning it over.

Yes it will hurt. you think halwais are born with those biceps?

You'll see that the residue on the kadhai is turning light and crumbly. Around now, the mixture will start to come together, and when it's like a gooey ball it's done. Take out into the greased plate and flatten - we use the bottom of a cup similarly greased with ghee. Cut into diamonds/squares and allow to cool.

nomnomnom