Kobbari Mithai ಕೊಬ್ರಿ ಮಿಠಾಯಿ is a traditional Karnataka sweet which is usually made for all festivals and auspicious occasions in Kannada homes. Bella Kobbari Badam Mithai is my refined sugar free take on the classic Kobbari Mithai with a rich addition of almonds.
Coconut and Jaggery are two ingredients that are always found in South Indian kitchens and this sweet is a testament to the best use of the two evergreen ingredients in combination.
After ages, I felt like making it for the Gokulashtami festival last week. But I did not want to do with any refined sugar. For the past several years, I’ve been trying to consciously reduce consumption of refined sugars in all ways possible. I like to use Jaggery even in our everyday chai.
I have a big sweet tooth, but I am not a fan of sweets that are overwhelmingly sweet. I relish sweets that are subtly sweet. Hence I’ve turned to this Jaggery version as I love the earthy complex notes of jaggery much better.
Jaggery works really really well with coconut, they are a match made for each other. I wanted something more than just coconut and jaggery to give the Burfi some body.
Adding almonds worked well in the Coconut Badam Burfi that I’ve made earlier. So I’ve added badam in this recipe as well which cuts off the sweetness to be even more bearable.
I am happy with how it turned out. This one’s going to be made many times more.
Other than being refined sugar free, as a bonus, this Bella Kobbari Badam Mithai is naturally vegan as well as gluten free and calls just 5 ingredients. The recipe is quite forgiving too for a traditional sweet. If you don’t get the consistency right the first time, you can always dump it back into the pan and cook it some more till it reaches the desired consistency.
You can use almonds either ways – blanched if you are fussy about the skin or as is with the skin intact.
Hope you will give this a try. You won’t miss the sugar version is my promise.
If you love the coconut and jaggery combo, you will also love this Banana Coconut Saffron Muffins
Coconut Almond Jaggery Burfi
- 1/2 a big coconut about 2 cups grated
- 1/2 cup almond
- 1 cup chopped jaggery unde bella
- 1/4 tsp cardamom dust 3-4 pods
- 1/4 tsp ghee for smearing the plate optional
- 2 tbsp almond slivers for garnish
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Blanch almonds (drop them in boiling water for sometime, drain and remove the skin). Skip this if you are not fussy about the skin. You can grind raw almonds to a fine powder instead.
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Grind fresh grated coconut to a smooth texture without adding water. Remove it into a bowl
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Next, grind blanched almonds to a smooth texture without adding water.
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Smear a square tray with ghee and keep ready on the counter
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Heat a thick bottomed pan or kadai.
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Add the chopped jaggery, ground coconut and almond paste and stir the mixture together to combine.
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Keep stirring continously while cooking on medium flame until the whole thing leaves the sides of the pan/kadai and comes together as one soft lump. Takes roughly 15-20 mins
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Whatever is stuck to the sides of the pan begins to appear dry and pale in color. The whole mix does not stick to the spatula any more.
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Add the cardamom dust at this point and stir well.
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Now working quickly, scrape the whole thing and dump onto the greased tray.
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Flatten it with a wooden spatula greased with ghee so that it doesn't stick.
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Pat down with your palm if needed to spread it evenly into a square about 1/4 inch thick
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After 5 mins, cut it with a greased knife into squares or diamonds of your choice.
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Garnish with almond slivers on each square (optional)
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Even if it is sticky while cutting, as it cools, it will dry up.
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Let it cool completely for 2 hours at least before storing away the squares in an airtight container.
A good quality kolhapuri jaggery unde bella (rounds) or bucket shaped will work well for this recipe.
Just in case after cooling, if it is still not holding good shape or you feel it is still sticky, dump the whole thing back into the pan and cook it for some more time until done and repeat the other steps.
Ghee can be replaced with coconut oil if you want to make it vegan
Almond skins can be composted
Stores well for at least 10 days in a clean, dry, air tight container
Yummy Yummy Yummy………. Love this blog.
Now i am very very hungry
Thanks for sharing such a good blog that made my day.