Recipe: Pista Barfi within an hour

This dessert melts in your mouth!

I made them for a family get together and was asked if they were vegan. :) I took that as a compliment, because those who didn't follow a plant-based diet, were suddenly impressed by, and interested in, the recipe.

This recipe creates about 12 small pieces, less if you cut them to a bigger size.

Ingredients for vegan pista barfi

• 100g of creamed coconut
• 150g coarsely ground pistachios
• 50g of golden syrup
• 1/4 of a teaspoon of vanilla essence
• 1/2 of a teaspoon of cardamom powder
• A cup of flaked almonds, whole pistachio nuts or pieces of  dried fruit

How to make vegan pista barfi

1. Melt the creamed coconut by placing it in a bowl on top of a pan of hot water i.e. not in the water itself - I keep it in the plastic packaging
2. Put the ground pistachios, golden syrup, vanilla essence and cardamom powder in a blender and blend 
3. Once the the creamed coconut has softened/melted, add it to the blender and quickly blend all the ingredients together - if you aren't quick, it will begin to solidify again 
4. Pour the mixture into a mould, lined with cling film - I used a plastic take away container
5. Decorate the mixture with flaked almonds, whole pistachio nuts or pieces of  dried fruit
6. Leave it to cool for 10 - 20 minutes
7. Place it in the fridge for 30 minutes
8. Remove it from the fridge and use the cling film to lift the piece out of the container
9. Take the piece off the cling film and cut to size

Recipe initially developed by Anabel Zalvidar
Photo courtesy of Sagar Shah.