Fehmz’s Indian fudge, or chana magaj per her mum. (Photo: Tony Jackman) Fehmz writes in her introduction to this recipe in her book, Damn Good Food: “I would choose magaj over burfee any day of the week. They say you get burfee people and chana magaj people. But the latter are connoisseurs, people who know what’s really good. You’d be so surprised that this dish is made with the same base ingredient as for bhajias (chilli bites), namely chickpea flour. This is a type of Indian ‘sweetmeat’, a neighbour to burfee, laddoo and jalebi.
“It’s a one-pot dish that you cook and only pour out once it’s ready to be set. It seems intimidating at first, but honestly, the hardest part is sifting the chickpea flour. The rest is easy. Enjoy the process because it does take time. If you want to make your first homemade Indian sweetmeat, this is the one to start with.”
I love chana flour, also known as gram flour (chickpea). You’ll know it best from those crunchy, hot chilli bites we all love. And that’s the flour in this Indian fudge.
Ingredients
500g chana flour (chickpea flour)
60ml milk
⅓ cup ghee
2 cups ghee
2⅓ cups (250 g) Klim milk powder
3 cups (450 g) icing sugar, sifted
½ tsp elachi powder (cardamom)
Pinch of nutmeg powder
3ml rose essence
50g chopped almonds
Method
Rub the chana flour, milk and ⅓ cup ghee together to form a fine breadcrumb consistency. You can use a food processor as well, but ensure that the crumbs are fine.
Sift the “breadcrumb” mixture into another bowl, rubbing them into the sieve, reserving the ones that do not sift through.
Add the 2 cups of ghee to a pot with the “crumbs” that didn’t sift through.
Braise on a medium to low heat until a light golden brown.
Then add the balance of the very fine crumbs and cook for about 45 minutes to 1 hour on a fairly low flame. Do not scorch!
Once done, switch off the stove and cool slightly. Now add the remaining ingredients and combine well.
Spoon onto a baking tray lined with baking paper, and press to flatten.
Sprinkle over the chopped almonds and press in lightly. Leave to set at room temperature.
Once set, you can cut into shapes and wrap as desired. Store in a Tupperware container at room temperature. DM