Happy Diwali

I hope that everyone is keeping safe and healthy during lockdown. This month I have created a vegan almond barfi (fudge) to celebrate my Satguruji’s 100th birthday and Diwali! This is easy to make, requires minimal ingredients, and is a fantastic base recipe that you can customise as per your wishes and tastes. Enjoy, and Happy Diwali to you all! Asa Kaur Narinder / @the_art_of_pure_cooking

Vegan Almond Barfi

Ingredients

• ½ tbsp coconut oil 
• 100g coconut milk powder 
• 60ml vegan cream (e.g. Elmlea) 
• 170g coconut condensed milk 
• 140g crushed almonds 
• 1 tsp cardamom powder 

Method

1. Place a heavy based, high sided pan over low heat.
2. Add the coconut oil and cook over low heat until it's completely warmed through.
3. In a separate bowl, combine your coconut milk powder, vegan cream and coconut condensed milk until it forms a thick, crumbly paste.
4. Add the crumbly paste to the pan and begin to cook the entire mixture over medium heat, stirring continuously with a heatproof spatula.
5. Continue cooking until the mixture begins to come away from the sides. This should take around 15–20 minutes.
6. Add your crushed almonds and cardamom powder. Combine thoroughly with the use of your spatula.
7. Pour the mixture into a greased pan, spread out to 3cm thickness. Do not touch the mixture because it will be HOT. Leave to set at room temperature.
8. Once your barfi is set, cut into squares using a sharp knife, and enjoy.

The barfi keeps well at room temperature in a covered container for up to 1 week.

The 25 November 2020 marks the 100th birthday of His Holiness Sri Satguru Jagjit Singh Ji. I am a Namdhari Sikh and disciple of Sri Satguru Jagjit Singh Ji (1920–2020) who was the spiritual head of the Namdhari Sikh community. The Namdhari Sikh community counts 100s and 1000s of adherents throughout the world. In celebration of Satguruji’s (true teacher) birthday, I will be sharing a short passage through which I aim to shed a light on Satguruji’s highly prolific life and legacies.

A true humanitarian champion, religious innovator and spiritual scholar. Satguruji’s timeless message of equality among all, regardless of class, gender and creed, shows us that Satguruji’s principles are more relevant today in the face of entrenched discrimination. Satguruji’s holistic understanding of peace was relentless, fuelling a movement that strives to conquer communal hatred and division. The teachable devotees absorbed Satguruji’s sacred teachings and tenets of honest work, charity and reverence to god. Satguruji’s comfortable approach and portrayal of our holy scriptures, illuminated and evolved the scriptures' significance. Satguruji’s colossal contributions to all spheres of life won the admiration of many beyond the Namdhari community. An ardent desire for world peace stemmed from Satguruji’s intense concern for the destitute and deprived. Satguruji was the definition of altruistic, touched by their solicitude the Namdhari community, nay the world became infatuated with them. Satguruji was not only a staunch vegetarian but they actively propagated vegetarianism throughout the world and the results were bountiful. Satguruji’s legacies and teachings have moulded millions into the people they are today. Each generational cohort shares collective memories of Satguruji, when assembled the thorough image effortlessly projects the future path for future generations to walk on. I endeavour to raise awareness about my Satguruji’s countless contributions to universal goodwill by working alongside platforms like Vegetarian for Life, as such organisations were a part of Satguruji’s vision for world peace. My wish is to preserve my Satguruji’s teachings for posterity. The Namdhari Sikh community is rich with cultural assets, I have not even managed to scratch the surface through this text. So, I would like to encourage you to search “Namdhari Sikhs” and “Sri Satguru Jagjit Singh Ji” to learn more.