Marble Barfi

EVENT: FOODIES_ REDOING OLD POSTS #10

What is the advantage of this theme?

For the 10th week on Foodies_Redoing Old Posts, marble barfi got a new look.Old posts just get lost in the wide wide wide web unless they are very popular. Renu who blog’s at Cook with Renu has started a Facebook Group called Foodies_ Redoing Old Posts where every two weeks we can redo our old posts and share it on the group. What’s the advantage of doing this? Well, it gives us the opportunity to improve the write up, update photos and get comments. I’ve got so many old posts that need updating especially where the photos are concerned. This group definitely gives me the ‘push’ to prepare the dishes again for better photos.

HAPPY JANAMASHTAMI

Lord Krishna’s birthday is a joyous event celebrated with much pomp and happiness by Hindus. Somehow, I have never associated Janamashtami with seriousness of pooja, havan and abhishek like  Lord Ram’s birthday. It’s perhaps because its only during Janamashtami that the ISKCON temples organise a lot of entertainment to celebrate Janamashtami.. The temple in Mombasa usually manages to put up a few dances depicting Krishna’s life and once in a while a short play. However, celebrations at the Juhu temple are on a much grandeur scale with lots happening for the whole week.

Janamashtami at ISKCON JUHU

It was during one of our visits to Mumbai that we got to see a ballet on Yashoda Ma and Krishna performed by none other than Hema Malini and her younger daughter Ahana. Such a breath taking performance by talented  dancer and actor, I wished it could have carried on forever. Both mother and daughter were very graceful and it was perfectly choreographed. So tomorrow though there will be an abhishek at the temple, I am sure everyone will be looking forward to the performances followed by lots of prasadam by other famous artists.

For Janamashtami I tend to make a variety of food  to offer to Lord Krishna. This year I decided to try out marble barfi. After performing a small Pooja and make some offerings home, I go to the temple to celebrate Janamashtami.

What is Marble Barfi?

Its a barfi or fudge which is really simple to make. Nuts and dried fruits along with cardamom and nutmeg powder is added to milk powder. Then a one string sugar syrup is added. There was a time I never really understood the one thread, two thread terms used for most of the sugar syrup for  Indian sweets. However the information given on this subject by Nisha Madhulika is a perfect guideline for me.

Why is it called Marble barfi?

Frankly, have no idea but its very easy to make this marble barfi or fudge once you have all the ingredients at hand. Maybe its the texture as this barfi is not soft or perhaps its called marble barfi because of the bits of dry fruit  one can see in the barfi. I don’t know, but whatever the reason, this barfi is super easy to make.

Can this barfi be made for other festivals?

Most certainly you can right from Janamashtami, Navratri, Diwali, Ram Navmi to Christmas. Make marble barfi as a gift for friends and family or to serve at a party. I’ve made this barfi or fudge for Diwali this time round and decided to roll them into small balls, instead of setting it in a tray and then cutting squares. There are some other easy sweet dishes that can be made for any of these festivals. I love making almond and chocolate halwa. Appeals to both old and young. Try out coconut laddoos or fudge balls, another simple and yet delicious sweet. Hubby’s all time favourite is Date and Cashew nut Barfi. I don’t miss making a kheer dish for Janamashtami as Lord Krishna loved milk, yogurt and butter.