Here’s a fun party trick: Put out a platter of jewel-shaped pieces of this fudge, and make people standing nearby guess what’s in it. Oh what pretty little candies, they’ll think — maybe they have a little rosewater or some cinnamon? (Nope.)
If these people are adept at on-the-spot taste tests, a bite will reveal cardamom, a faint nuttiness, something creamy. They will not guess that you have also grated in a block of tofu. You’ll get them so good!
But they won't mind, and you won't feel like Jessica Seinfeld, because the fudge is perfect just like this: sweet but not too sweet; swept through with cardamom (without its sometimes overbearing froufrou soapiness); nubbled with bits of ground cashew; sticky and a little bouncy, with the addictive springiness of mochi or a nice, high-class gummy.
The recipe comes from "Asian Tofu," Andrea Nguyen's meticulously researched cookbook (and a former Piglet contender!) that shows us all the ways tofu can behave as an ingredient, not just a one-for-one substitute in stir-fries and scrambles.
Nguyen was hunting for Indian tofu treatments for the book — there wasn't much published on the subject. But in Kavitha Reddy's "The Indian Soy Cookbook," she found a technique she hadn't seen before. "East and Southeast Asian cooks may squeeze, press, and freeze tofu to manipulate its texture," Nguyen says. "But shredding it was brilliant."
When you pass tofu through a fine grater, its wobbly mass breaks down and becomes almost feathery, so it can thread in with other ingredients, adding moisture and structure without taking over. From here, it can be used in the place of grated paneer, which Nguyen folds into Indian-spiced chickpea crepes, or in Moosewood's tofu burgers. Just note that it won't actually melt. ("I tried grated tofu on pizza and it was disgusting," Nguyen told me.)
In this recipe, the tofu is used as a substitute for the cooked-down milk in traditional kaju barfi, which shaves off cook time and makes an easier-to-work-with confection that doesn’t need to be kneaded or rolled out.
To make it, you stir a heap of shredded tofu into a pan of ground cashews, cardamom and sweetened condensed milk (to bind the mix), and cook it all down just until it pulls away from the sides of the pan. Then, you’ll spread it in a thin layer, and sprinkle pistachios on top. Once it sets, you can cut it into whatever shapes you fancy.
It's true that we can appreciate tofu in sweets for the same reasons we value it in vegetarian and vegan cooking — tofu, by nature, will inject protein and all sorts of other healthful traits wherever it goes (and temper the sugar, too). But more important than that, it makes a lovely end product, and does so more quickly and simply than your average barfi recipe.
Like other sticky, spiced Indian sweets, it’s best served with tea.
Recipe adapted slightly from "Asian Tofu: Discover the Best, Make Your Own, Cook it at Home" (Ten Speed Press, 2012)
Makes 36 small pieces
8 oz. super-firm tofu
3 1/2 oz. unsalted raw cashew pieces or whole nuts
1 14-oz. can sweetened condensed milk
3/4 tsp. ground cardamom
1 1/2 Tbsp. chopped raw pistachios
Line an 8-inch square pan with parchment paper to cover the bottom and one side. Set aside.
Wipe the tofu dry, then finely shred it using the smallest hole on the grater. Transfer to a bowl and set aside. Put the cashews in a small or full-size food processor and grind to a texture resembling breadcrumbs or fine cornmeal. Add to the grated tofu and toss to combine.
To cook the fudge mixture, use a medium pan, such as a 2-quart sauté pan. It’s easier to evenly cook the ingredients in that kind of shallow pan. Pour in the sweetened condensed milk. Add the tofu and cashew mixture. Over medium heat, stir the ingredients together. Cook the mixture for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally at the beginning as things heat up, and then frequently, and, eventually, constantly. Prevent scorching by scraping the bottom and sides as you stir. The mixture should not boil, but just thicken at a moderate speed. The mixture will transform into a rough mass resembling very thick, rough oatmeal. When stirring results in the mixture pulling away from the sides or slightly lifting off the bottom of the pan, it’s done.
Remove from the heat and stir in the cardamom, then transfer the fudge to the lined baking pan. Spread it out evenly, then pat it flat. Sprinkle on the pistachio nuts and gently press into the mixture. Set aside to completely cool. Because this fudge is on the soft side, cover and chill for a few hours or overnight to make it easier to cut; if you’re in a hurry, freeze until cold, about 15 minutes. The resting time also develops flavor.
Use the parchment paper on the side of the pan to help you remove the fudge. Place it on a cutting board and cut it into 36 small squares for bite-size portions. Or, aim for 16 to 20 large ones. Take liberties with shapes; triangles are easy to achieve, and diamonds are lovely and traditional. Serve at room temperature or chilled. This fudge keeps well, covered, for up to 5 days in the refrigerator. You can freeze it for up to 1 month, but it loses a touch of its oomph.
This article originally appeared on Food52.com: http://food52.com/blog/11903-andrea-nguyen-s-cashew-and-cardamom-fudge-kaju-barfi
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