Santra Badam Barfi (Orange Almond Fudge)

The delicate sweet tangy orange with the richness of ghee and almond make Santra Badam Barfi a delicacy for your palate. It’s moreish and almost melts in your mouth at every bite. We Indians love barfi (dense milk-based fudge) and make it quite often, be it a special occasion or not. There are different types of barfi one can make with addition of nuts and fruits. 

This Santra Badam Barfi (Orange Almond Fudge) is inspired by Nagpur’s famous sweet treat Santa Barfi.

Nagpur Santra Barfi:

The city of Nagpur is known for their large produce of oranges, which probably lead to the creation of the fudgy treat Santra Barfi. Typically, the dish calls for all-purpose flour but I wanted to use almond flour instead. As a result, the taste of the fudge became super rich.

Ingredients for Santra Badam Barfi (Orange Almond Fudge) 

Ghee or clarified butter is the main flavor essence in this fudge and shouldn’t be replaced with butter or oil. 
Almond flour – This makes the fudge glutenfree
Milk, room temperature or slightly warm to mix the saffron in it. 
Heavy cream – works as a binder
Saffron – optional but it adds the gorgeous color
Fresh orange juice –  Preferably fresh, but you can substitute with store bought bottled orange juice too. 
Sugar – for sweetness

Last weekend, we had a small family get together at our place. One of my aunt and uncle are in town. So, I found the right reason to make this Santra Badam Barfi. About 4 years back, I had tried this fudge for the very first time. I accidently added too much saffron and that completely ruined the taste of the fudge. That’s the thing with saffron, a little goes a long way! This time, I was very careful and thankfully all the flavors blended quite beautifully. They all approved and loved the fudge. My aunt even asked for the recipe.

FEW KEY POINTS!

• If you don’t have almond flour, just soak the almonds overnight, peel the skin and grind it to a powder.
• If you want the strong sweet tangy taste of the santra barfi, use all-purpose flour instead of the almond flour.
• I used fresh orange juice, which can be replaced with fresh orange pulp for more intense taste of the fruit.
• Almost all barfi recipes call for the use of ghee. The nutty aroma of ghee adds a beautiful fragrance to these desserts. 

Overall, it is not a tricky dessert to prepare. However, it cannot be rushed through. It needs constant attention and some muscle power as you constantly stir and cook the mixture for the right consistency.

Santra Badam Barfi (Orange Almond Fudge)

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

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Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons ghee
• 1 cup almond flour
• 2 tablespoons milk, room temperature or slightly warm
• ½ cup heavy cream
• tiny pinch of saffron
• ½ cup fresh orange juice
• ½ cup sugar

Instructions

1. Line a loaf pan with parchment paper and keep aside to be used later.
2. Pour the milk in a bowl, crush the saffron thread into it, give it a stir and keep aside for 5 minutes. The milk will get infused and turn into saffron color.
3. Warm the heavy cream slightly and add the orange juice along with sugar. Give it a stir and keep it aside. Do not heat the heavy cream too much or else, the orange juice will curdle the cream.
4. Take a heavy bottom pan and place it on medium heat. Pour the ghee and once the ghee melts, scatter the almond flour. Keep stirring constantly for 3 to 4 minutes and you will see the shade of the almond flour darkens slightly. Do not leave unattended as the flour can stick to the pan and burn in a second.
5. Then, pour the orange and cream mixture along with saffron milk into the pan. Keep stirring for at least 7 to 10 minutes or until most of the liquid is absorbed and you see the ghee separating at the sides of the pan. The consistency of the mixture will also thicken.
6. Put the entire mixture to the prepared loaf pan and press it down to form an even layer. Allow it cool down to the room temperature for a while and then, keep it in the refrigerator for a few hours or overnight to set.
7. The fudge comes out of the pan quite easily and the parchment paper also peels off without any effort. Using a serrated knife, slice into bite size fudge. You could either serve it right away or store in an airtight jar in the refrigerator. It stays good for a couple of weeks.