Trinidad Barfi Recipe (with Milk Powder)

This Trinidad barfi recipe creates a fudge-like sweet treat that’s made with milk powder and a flavorful syrup, spiced with comforting ginger and cardamom.

It’s usually topped with rainbow sprinkles, though you can use nuts and pistachios too.

It is a favorite especially for Diwali, Eid and any Indian ceremony on the island. Barfi is often made alongside other Trinidad Diwali sweets.

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Barfi ingredients

Here’s a look at the ingredients I used:

Equipment needed

• small grater or zester
• sifter or strainer or sieve or food processor

How to make barfi

The only preparation needed involves peeling and finely grating the ginger.

Prepare the milk

Pour the cream over the milk powder and start working it in.

It will form large clumps in the beginning but after a few minutes the mixture will become powdery again. The food processor can speed things along here.

Sift the powdery mixture, breaking up any lumps along the way. Set aside for later.

Prepare the syrup (paag)

To a large saucepan on medium heat, add the grated ginger, cardamom, sugar and water. Once the sugar is dissolved, reduce the heat to low and leave to boil for 15 to 20 minutes. Stir occasionally.

The syrup or paag (Indian word we use for syrup) is done when it is on the verge of forming threads or when:

• it starts to thicken
• becomes frothy on top
• forms a recrystallized sugar layer on the sides of the pot
• reaches close to 230°F, and
• the last drops off a spoon falls from two spots

When this happens, turn off the heat but keep the syrup on the hot stove to cool slightly. If you are in a colder climate, the syrup may harden on you. If it does, add a little more water and turn the heat back on to low.

Mix everything together

Pour half of the syrup over the sifted milk-cream powder. Hot syrup burns badly so be careful. Mix together using a spoon or spatula.

Continue adding more syrup to the milk until the mixture holds its shape when squeezed and no longer falls apart.

Butter a small baking dish or tray with sides. Spoon the mixture onto the tray and push down using the spatula, back of a spoon or the palm of your hand to compress the mixture and remove any air pockets. Don’t forget to work on the edges too.

Add the sprinkles and press on them to squeeze them into the barfi. Doing this will prevent the sprinkles from falling off later on. Set aside for about 10 minutes to cool.

Cut the barfi

Place the blade of a thin knife in bowl of warm water to heat up a bit. Remove the knife (don’t dry it) and cut the barfi into squares. Go slowly since the top of the barfi can crumble on you. You can also dip the knife back into the warm water before cutting again and you can press down any spots that raise.

Sometimes, my aunt uses a ruler to score the barfi first before cutting into the mixture. This helps to create perfectly neat square barfi.

Once cut, set aside to cool completely and harden. This can take a couple hours. When it’s hard, cut along the edges of the tray and along the already cut lines. Carefully remove the barfi from the tray and enjoy.

More recipes to explore:

Trinidad barfi recipe

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5 from 2 votes

Trini Milk Barfi Recipe

Barfi or burfi or milk barfi is an Indian sweet that looks and tastes similar to a milky fudge. It is made with milk powder, cream, a spiced syrup and topped with fun rainbow nonpareils or sprinkles.

Prep Time45 minutes mins

Cook Time15 minutes mins

Cooling Time3 hours hrs

Total Time4 hours hrs

Course: Snack

Cuisine: Caribbean, Indian

Keyword: barfi, milk barfi, trinidad barfi

Servings: 24

Calories: 228kcal

Author: Ros Singh

Ingredients

• 650 g full cream milk powder
• 150 g cream
• 425 g granulated sugar (1/2 pack of 850 g pack)
• 210 mL water (approx.)
• 1/2 tbsp ginger (finely grated)
• 1/4 tsp cardamom powder
• 3 tbsp rainbow nonpareils or sprinkles
• 1 tsp butter (for buttering the tray)

Equipment

• grater
• sieve

Instructions

• Wash, peel and finely grate the ginger.
• Add milk powder and cream to a large bowl.
• Mix the cream into the powder for about 10 to 15 minutes. The mixture should form clumps before becoming powdery again (a food processor can help).
• Add a small amount of the powdery mixture to a sieve.
• Sift this mixture over a clean bowl. Break up any lumps.
• Repeat until the milk-cream mixture is completely sifted.
• Set aside.

Syrup (paag)

• Place a large saucepan on medium heat.
• Add sugar, water, ginger and cardamom powder to the pan.
• Stir to dissolve the sugar.
• Reduce the heat to low.
• Leave to boil for 15 to 20 minutes until the syrup becomes thicker, frothy, forms a sugar layer on the sides of the pan, approaches 230°F, drops off the spoon at two spots and is on the verge of forming threads.

Form barfi

• Add half of the finished syrup carefully to the sifted milk and cream.
• Combine using a spoon or spatula.
• Continue adding small amounts of the syrup until the mixture holds its shape when compressed and does not fall apart.
• Butter a baking tray or dish.
• Add the mixture to the tray.
• Squeeze down to compress the mixture and remove any air pockets (don’t forget the edges).
• Top with the nonpareils or sprinkles. Press them into the barfi mixture.
• Set aside to cool for 10 minutes.
• Soak the blade of a thin knife in warm water.
• Use the warmed, wet knife to score and cut the barfi into squares. Do not remove the barfi yet.
• Set aside to cool completely and harden (approx 3 hours).
• Run the knife along the edges and the cut lines.
• Remove the barfi from the tray. Serve or parcel and gift friends and family.