This Diwali, I wanted to revive a recipe that is not very well known. I am not sure if it is because of the immense trouble it takes to make with hours of stirring. Regardless, it is a recipe worth every aching muscle! Dhayaa kaapa, or yogurt burfi, was a crowd favorite in my family when I was a kid. One of my aunts used to make it. But over the years, for some reason, no one made it and it was lost. My mom brought it up during one of our conversations, and it took me right back to my childhood Diwali! The taste of the tart, sweet barfi was still there. I asked around for a recipe with no success, so I decided to create it from memory. I will say, though, this is not an easy recipe to make. It required 3-4 hours of continuous stirring. It amazes me sometimes when I think back to the times I used to tell my granny to make different things for me, and she would make them with a smile and zero complaints. As I make these recipes today, I realize how time-consuming and full of manual effort some of them are. All the efforts are worth it when the results are delicious and your loved ones love it. Mayur, who isn’t a fan of barfis, said, “This is something unique. Almost like shrikhand.” Do give it a try!
What you will need:
| Ingredients | Quantity |
|---|---|
| Yogurt | 1 kg |
| White Sugar | 625 g |
| Powdered Sugar | 150 g |
| Cardamom Powder | 1 teaspoon |
| Ghee | 3 tablespoons |
Prep Time: Overnight
Cook Time: 4 hours
Servings: Makes around 1.25 kg kaapa
How to make it:
- Take thick yogurt – I used Greek yogurt for this recipe. On a draining colandar, add a muslin cloth. Pour all the yogurt over the cloth and tie the cloth tightly. Place a weight over it and let all the whey drain from the yogurt overnight.
- In the morning, add the remaining thick yogurt along with the white sugar to a large mixing bowl.
- The flame has to be on slow throughout the process of making this recipe. Keep mixing the yogurt and sugar mixture and you will find that it turns runny. Continue the process untill you start seeing the mixture separating from the bottom.
- Once the mixture starts separating, add two tablespoons of ghee, the powedered sugar and cardamom powder. Stir again till the mixture separates from the bottom.
- Add ghee to the plate or surface where you plan to cut the kaapa on. Once it is well greased, add the cooked mixture and spread it out. Tip: I find using silicon mats on the bottom, helps the kaapa come out clean. Also, use a greased flat bottom glass or a greased rolling pin to roll out the kaapa/barfi mixture.
- Grease a knife and cut into square or diamond shapes.
- Let it cool completely before storing in an airtight container. These usually keep well for 2-3 weeks at room temperature and around 5 weeks in the fridge. Enjoy!