Navratri day five: Makhana and coconut barfi for Goddess Skandamata

During Navratri, the nine forms of the Goddess are worshipped. Devotees offer her garlands, flowers and sweets. Today is the fifth day of Navratri, and Goddess Skandamata is worshipped on this day.

For those planning a sweet at home for Navratri, makhana and coconut barfi is an easy and quick option. The barfi can be made from just five ingredients. With Navratri under way and sweets offered to the Goddess, the recipe can come in handy.

Makhana and coconut are considered very good for health, so besides being tasty, the barfi also counts as nutritious. It does not spoil quickly and can be kept in the fridge and enjoyed for a week.

For the barfi, you need 2 cups of makhana, 250 grams of mawa, 1 cup of grated coconut, 3/4 cup of sugar and 1 teaspoon of ghee. A little cinnamon powder is also used for fragrance.

First, add the ghee to a pan and lightly roast the makhana. Once well roasted, spread it on a plate to cool. When cool, put the makhana and sugar in a mixer jar and grind to a fine paste.

Next, put the mawa in another pan and keep cooking it on low heat. When the mawa has melted well, add the grated coconut and keep stirring on low heat. Then add the makhana and sugar powder along with a little cinnamon powder.

Keep stirring and cook everything on low heat for about 3 to 4 minutes. Then spread ghee on a plate and pour the prepared mixture onto it. Leave the plate under a fan for an hour to cool.

When the mixture has cooled well on the plate, cut it into pieces of any preferred shape with a knife. The barfi is soft and sweet, and melts in the mouth.