Watermelon Burfee
I guess if you see the word watermelon you expect to taste watermelon. However, in this instance unfortunately there is no watermelon flavor in this Watermelon Burfee.
It was just fascinating to see how pretty they look.
Watermelon Burfee
Of course, you do get artificial watermelon flavoring, which I could have added to my burfee. But I am old-fashioned and prefer to stick to the old classic flavors of cardamom and rose.
If you are keen to try the watermelon flavoring please feel free to add it to your burfee. This is just a novelty version of Burfee.
Sometimes we may want to impress our guests or make it for a special occassion. This Watermelon Burfee really does have that WOW factor so why not.
Is it Easy to shape the Burfee
Absolutely yes. There is no rocket science to make these Watermelon Burfee, trust me. It is so simple anyone can make it. That much I promise.
You know those people out there that look like pros in the kitchen and would never want to share their secrets. Well now you can look like a pro too and you don’t have to share your secret…haha!
This burfee requires the burfee mixture to be shaped into balls and those balls are worked into the watermelon shape. It is then refrigerated for an hour and cut into four pieces. It is really that simple.
Colouring the Burfee Mixture
The Burfee mixture must be divided into 3 portions. The green colour which forms the outer layer of the “watermelon” will be the bigger portion and then you divide the remaining mixture into halves, colour one red and leave the other as is.
I used a powder colour to colour my burfee, you can use a gel colouring too. However, the store bought colouring may not be as intense or you may require too much and it could affect the consistency of the burfee mixture.
Creating the balls
The green balls require you to use about a tablespoon of mixture. The red and white ones should be about a teaspoon of mixture. You roll them out into 8 balls each.
Firstly the white ball is flattened into a round disc. You place the red ball in the center of the disc and you bring the ends of the white mixture to the centre and roll it into a neat ball. You then flatten the green ball and place the white ball in the center and bring the ends to the centre and create a neat round ball.
The balls are then refrigerated for an hour and cut into four pieces. You will see beautiful, colourful layers on the inside that resembles a watermelon.
Sesame Seeds
I added some toasted black sesame seeds to the red to resemble the seeds of the watermelon. However, the idea of the sesame seeds doesn’t appeal to me much. If you can get yourself an edible black marker I would highly recommend using that to create the effect of the seeds.
In my video you will see I made all the balls the same size, that was a huge mistake. I did struggle a little with the green. However, I tested the recipe again and made the green ball bigger and that worked much better.
I must apologize as I didn’t have time to redo the video. It is just a reference to enable you to see how I shaped the burfee. Please take note of this as it is important when you attempt the recipe.
If you see the little shiny speckles on my burfee, that’s just some edible sparkle dust to make it extra…haha!
More Sweetmeat Recipes to try:
Watermelon Burfee
Ingredients
- 2&1/2 cup klim powdered milk
- 1/2 cup/125ml fresh cream
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1/2 cup condensed milk
- 100 ml water
- 1/2 tsp ground cardamom/elachie
- 1/4 tsp rose essence
- 1 tsp black sesame seeds
- Red food colouring
- Green food colouring
Instructions
- Mix the fresh cream into the powdered milk. Use your fingertips and rub it in
- Allow it to stand for 30 minutes
- Toast the sesame seeds on low heat and set aside
- Place half the mixture in a food processor and pulse until it resembles breadcrumbs. Place in a bowl. Repeat with the other half
- Add the condensed milk, water and butter to a flat pan and heat until butter melts
- Add the powdered milk to the liquid and keep whisking on low heat until the mixture thickens a little and leaves the sides of the pan, about 5 minutes. The mixture will look a little too soft but it will thicken further once it cools
- Allow it to cool a little and add the rose essence and cardamom. Mix well and set aside to cool
- Once completely cool. Take half a cup of mixture and place it in a bowl. Divide the remaining mixture into halves and place in two bowls
- Add some green food colouring to the half cup of mixture. Add red food colouring to one half and then add the toasted sesame seeds of the other mixture and leave one as is
- Melt a teaspoon of butter and set aside. You will use this to grease your hands as you work with the mixture
- Rub some butter on your hands. You will need to do this a few times as you work with the burfee mixture. Take a piece of the white mixture and flatten it into a disc. Place the red ball in the centre and bring the edges to the centre and seal. Roll into a neat ball
- Take a piece of the green ball and flatten into a large disc. Place the white ball in the center, bring the edges to the center and seal. Roll into a neat ball
- Place the balls on a parchment lined tray and refrigerate for 1 hour
- Remove from refrigerator and cut each ball into four pieces. Store in an airtight container and refrigerate. Remove from fridge at least 30 minutes before serving
Notes
- You can use ghee instead of butter
- Powder colouring or gel colouring will work. The store bought coloring may not be as intense and could affect the mixture if you add too much
- Please ensure the green ball is bigger than the white and red balls
- You can create the seeds of the watermelon with a black edible marker if you choose not to use the sesame seeds
- Some brands of rose essence is stronger than others so please adjust the amount accordingly
Hi Lorraine,
Thanks for all the beautiful recipes. I love your personal style of writing and I look forward to reading your posts whenever they’re released. You are such an inspiration and I, being a busy mum to two little ones try to sneak in some “me” time just to read through recipes on your site and find a list to try out.
Do you think Dessert cream instead of fresh cream and butter ghee instead of butter will work in the above recipe?
Thanks
Thank you so much Sidhika. I’m happy to hear you’re enjoying my blog. Yes you can use dessert cream and butter ghee will absolutely work. Good luck and Take Care:-)