Monthar - Indian Fudge

We recently celebrated my nieces wedding this summer and my Gulshan Aunty brought out her prized monthar recipe that has been in the family for generations. Even though it requires lots of butter, it's made out of chickpea flour, so it's gluten free if that's any consolation. I haven't tried reducing the calories or fat as this usually affects the taste but i will be experimenting with the recipe to see if i can salvage the taste and reduce the fat/calorie content. She makes the best monthar using this recipe and so i wanted to share it with you as it is!

Ingredients:
6 cups of besan/chickpea flour
3 slabs of salted butter
3/4 cup of cold, 3.5% fat milk
1 can of evaporated milk (full fat)
1 and 1/4 cup of sugar
1 cup of carnation skim milk powder
1 tablespoon of cardamom powder
1 tablespoon of nutmeg
1/4 to 1/2 tsp of orange colour
1/4 tsp of saffron
1/2 cup chopped/ground almonds and pistachios (optional)

1) Melt butter in saucepan on medium heat.
2) Add flour to mixing bowl.
3) When butter melts then add 3/4 cup of butter and 3/4 cup of milk to flour and crumble/mix with the flour.
4) The mixture should be crumbled well until the flour no longer sticks to your hands.

5) Add canned milk, sugar, cardamom, instant milk powder, colour and nutmeg in a pan and heat on low until it simmers.

6) Add flour mixture to melted butter still on low heat on another saucepan.

7) Keep stirring the flour into the butter for about 20 to 30 minutes on low heat until the mixture turns a brown, golden colour.
8) Add saffron and mix well.
9) Add milk mixture once the flour has cooked well and mix.

10) Transfer mixture to baking tray and sprinkle/ garnish with chopped nuts/ground nutmeg/saffron/cardamom powder and let it cool on counter. We didn't use any nuts due to allergies.
11) Once it cools and firms up, cut small pieces (square or diamond shapes).

Makes approx: 50 pieces
​Calories per piece: 297 Fat: 26g, Carbs: 13g, Fiber: 1g, Protein: 4g, Sugar: 8g, Sodium: 178mg