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Monday, April 4, 2011

"Ghee, Nut and Maida Flour " Halwa

So India won the World Cup Cricket 2011..It was a momentous day for team and the cricket crazy Indians.While me and my hubby were flying high over India's magnificent triumph over Sri Lanka we were brought to earth by none other than our sweet son --Yeah, A choked on a big chunk of juicy "Methley Plum" and gave us quite a scare. I was wondering if I should call 911 or do a "Heimlich maneuver" but wasn't really sure how. But God is always around to take care of little ones. He has designed and installed the magic of "Puke mechanism" in them. Don't you think of it as magic? I do. So what went in did come out along with morning brunch, sticky mucus and a few other technicolored stuff that we dared not inspect closer. Took us nearly half an hour to cleanup after..Nothing like a hard dose of reality to bring us back to earth. My son's timing is always perfect. :). The one good thing about it was that I didn't die of the scare my son gave me.A person can only handle so much of excitement in one day!
Anyways, many of my blog buddies decided  to make/bake something sweet to salute the "Boys in Blue". And I couldn't think of anything better and more appropriate dessert than this quick Halwa that can be made from basic pantry ingredients.

Ingredients:
  • 3/4 Cup Maida Flour (Finely Milled Wheat Flour)
  • 1-1/4 Cups Granulated Sugar
  • 2-1/2 Cups Water
  • 1 Cup Clarified Butter  "Ghee" or (1/2 Cup Olive Oil + 1/2 Cup Clarified Butter)
  • 1/2 Tsp Cardamom Powder
  • 1/4 Cup Cashews
  • Orange Food Color (Optional) 
Procedure:
  • Heat about a tbsp of Clarified Butter and "lightly" brown the cashews. Set aside.
  • Make the "sugar syrup" by placing water and sugar in a pan and cooking it on a medium flame for about 15 minutes. It doesn't have to be extremely sticky.
  • In a pan, dry fry the flour for about 5 minutes until it is slightly browned.
  • Add the Clarified butter to the flour and keep stirring until it resembles a coarse meal.
  • Pour the sugar syrup by ladle-fuls to the flour mixture - stir until the flour thickens
  • Add more sugar syrup.Repeat the above step. Continuous stirring is the key.
  • Throw in the browned cashews to the flour along with some more syrup.If using the food color now would be the time to add it.(I skipped the food coloring this time).
  • Repeat until you exhaust all the sugar syrup. The "halwa" should come away from the sides of the pan.
  • After nearly 20 minutes of stirring and adding this is how it should look like. (Add 2tbsp more ghee as a finishing touch if you prefer a more decadent version).
  • Serve warm, cold or at room temperature.
Makes 5-6 Small Servings.
Enjoy!

31 comments:

  1. Halwa sounds perfect for the celebration...looks so tempting and yummy!

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  2. I always remember this as temple halwa...I love it a lot...I never tried it!...I will surely try it soon!
    Smitha
    Smitha's Spicy Flavors

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  3. Wow this looks perfect and tempting..will surely try this.

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  4. That looks wonderful Lassi! Perfect photos...these sound divine!
    Blessings, Catherine

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  5. wow this halwa looks delicious lassie, i loved the texture so very much!!!

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  6. Delicious looking halwa.. Am sure your son scared you and your husband. Hope he is doing fine. :-)

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  7. Hope your son is doing fine now Lassi.
    Loved the texture of halwa. And your last click is awesome

    Deepa
    Hamaree Rasoi

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  8. The halwa looks very delicious and nice. Perfect.

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  9. wow!!!!!!!pics are awesome......delicious halwa

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  10. U wud ve been scared to death..We had a similar episode with our younger one some time b4:-(
    U'r halwa looks yummy with few ingredients

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  11. Perfect looking halwa..Loved your presentation and pics..

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  12. Yum ..this looks so fab ....wonderful one CL

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  13. Seriously u r killing me with ur beautiful clicks,droolworthy halwa..

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  14. How wonderful! Must try this! Do you know how long it will stay CL? should I keep it in the fridge?

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  15. Great way to celebrate the Indian victory. Looks yummy !!

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  16. Halwa looks so yummy...nice one 4 d celebration..:)

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  17. My roommate sometimes brings home halwa that her mom has made and I love it! Thanks so much for sharing this recipe...now I can make it at home!

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  18. @Magpie -- It should keep well in the fridge for at-least 3 days. The Ghee in the Halwa solidifies. So before digging in,microwaving it just until the ghee melts is what you should do.

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  19. Let me tell you CL i need to try this soonest...can't wait yum!

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Thanks a bunch for your valuable comments and continued support.They are very much appreciated. Yes,like "Rain on Dry Land" and like "Oasis in Desert Sand".
XoXo, Cool Lassi(e)