In the past few months, mahua flowers have been doing the rounds not only for its nutritional benefits but also as as an ingredient in alcoholic beverages and desserts alike. The flowers are derived from the Mahua trees, a culturally-significant tree for tribal communities across Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, and Odisha. The trees are not only valued for their timber but its flowers that adds a unique flavour to all dishes.
Chef Harshita Kakwani, who has worked closely with tribal communities shared her experience of preparing mahua barfi with the Wild Harvest Community (refers to the Munda, Oraon, Bedia, and Mahto communities working together to ethically harvest and process Mahua flowers). The barfi was Kakwani’s way of unravelling the versatility of the flowers as an ingredient. “This Mahua barfi that we made does not have any sugar as it uses the natural sweetness of Mahua,” said Chef Kakwani in a conversation with Outlook Traveller Eats.
Mahua flowers have been a significant part of the meals of tribal communities and Kakwani wanted to preserve the flowers and the recipes associated with it “The Wild Harvest community collaborated in my effort to revive mahua flowers in the form of this barfi. We want to preserve it for the tribals and the future generations,” Kakwani added.
People are focused on maintaining a healthy lifestyle, and the same thought also inspired Kakwani to make something wholesome and nutritious like the Mahua barfi. “My idea was to solve the problem for people who wanted to eat desserts but were concerned about their health. We made this barfi with no sugar but only a gentle floral sweetness of Mahua,” said Kakwani.
Prepare this easy Mahua Barfi using Kakwani’s recipe. It is infused with the natural sweetness of dried mahua flowers, the crunch of dry fruits, and the aroma of cardamom powder.
