Santra Badam Barfi (Orange Almond Fudge)

February 21, 2018 by Kankana Saxena

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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.