This quick and simple recipe for the milky, fudgy South Asian sweet, Mango Burfi requires just a handful of ingredients and the texture is just like shop bought burfi.
What does Burfi mean?
The word ‘burfi’ or ‘barfi‘ in both Hindi and Urdu originates from the Persian term, ‘barfī‘, which literally means ‘icy’ or ‘snowy’. Baraf is also the word for ‘ice’ in Hindi. The connections between these languages runs deep — a ricochet effect of the Mughal Empire, which lasted from 1526-1761. This traditional Indian sweet carries the name Burfi because of it’s cool, melt-in-the mouth texture. It’s just like melting snow! In Britain, we have a similar sweet called Coconut Ice.
How to make 15-Minute Mango Burfi with milk powder
My recipe for Mango Burfi calls for whole (full-fat) milk powder. This is a product you’ll be able to find easily in South Asian (Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi or Sri Lankan food shops), as well as some Caribbean food shops. Please don’t try to use baby formula! It’s not a suitable substitute for full fat milk powder and has lots of other added to it. Note that this recipe will also not work with skimmed milk powder.
What if I can’t find full-fat milk powder?
If full-fat milk powder proves to be elusive, you can use skimmed milk powder and simply replace the milk in this recipe with an equal measure of double (full-fat) cream. This simple switch will produce a delicious, creamy Burfi, although the texture may not be exactly the same as the results pictured here.
Making Mango Burfi with khoya
In many cases, people use khoya or mawa (milk solids) which you can make by reducing full-fat milk. Indeed, you can also buy mawa in many South Asian food shops. In Europe and other Western countries, it’s common to try to replace this with ricotta cheese. I haven’t yet produced a satisfactory result using this method. I’d love to know if the ricotta method works for you though. Let me know in the comments if you make it this way!
Mango Burfi with condensed milk
Burfi recipes that call for condensed milk tend to be on the chewier side, rather than like the kind you would buy from a South Asian sweet shop (mithai shop). They are quite fudgy. If this is the kind of burfi you like, feel free to replace the sugar in this recipe with an equal measure of sweetened condensed milk.
Different types of Burfi
There are hundreds of variations when it comes to Burfi. Some are traditional, some more playful and modern. In my opinion, most good Burfi ought to begin with a Perfect Plain White Burfi recipe. Besan Burfi, Pistachio Burfi, Mango Burfi (recipe below), Sooji Burfi (with semolina) and Chocolate Burfi are all popular choices in Indian mithai shops. You can make all of these varieties if you know how to create a great basic milk burfi. Each recipe has a little variation, be it nuts, some flavour extract, food colour, dried fruit, nuts or food colour.
Some of my favourite Burfi varieties
Besan Burfi Pistachio Burfi Coconut Pandan Burfi Chocolate Burfi White Burfi Cookie Dough Burfi Birthday Cake Burfi Cashew Burfi
Instructions for making 15-Minute Mango Burfi (recipe card with measurements below)
15-Minute Mango Burfi recipe | Recipe Card
Pin this recipe for later! 15-Minute Mango Burfi
If you like this, you’ll love my recipe for Perfect Plain White Burfi
Love Sanjana Adjust the amount of mango flavouring according to the strength of the brand you have. The one I use (from Cupcake World) is very intense so only 1/4 teaspoon is required. If you have a weaker formula, you can add more. Food colour is optional but typically added in South Asian sweet shops, If you don’t like it, don’t add it. Keep the burfi in an airtight container for up to a week. Serve cold or at room temperature. Share this recipe
