Indian Sweets Mithai Badam Halwa Recipes Biography
Source(google.com.pk)
Badam Halwa is a regal dessert fit for Kings! While the recipe does not call for too many ingredients, nor is the process a complex one, it takes love and time to make a good Badam Halwa... you literally need to stand over the pot and stir constantly to prevent the Halwa from scorching or burning. Don't let that scare you off though, as the end result is well worth the effort. Treat your family and friends to Badam Halwa and they will love you for it. This recipe makes enough for 6-8 people.
INGREDIENTS
3.5 cups whole almonds
1.5 cup milk
5 tbsps ghee
3 cups granulated sugar
1/2 tsp saffron strands (optional but recommended)
A few drops of yellow food coloring (optional)
1/2 tsp cardamom powder
Prep Time: 260 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 290 minutes
Yield: Serves 6-8 people
PREPARATION
Put the almonds in a deep bowl and add enough hot water to them to cover them. Leave them to soak for 3-4 hours. Once the almonds have soaked, remove their skins. To do this press each almond between a thumb and forefinger and slide your thumb forward. This will make the almond slip out of its skin. Do this for all the almonds. Discard the skins.
Put the skinless almonds into a blender and add the milk to them. Blend the mixture to form a coarse paste (the same consistency as sooji/ rawa).
Set up a deep, heavy-bottomed pan on medium heat. When it is hot, add 3 tbsps of ghee to it. When the ghee melts, add the almond-milk mixture to it. Stir well.
Now add the sugar to the mixture and stir to mix well.
Now add the saffron strands and mix well.
Cook the mixture on medium heat, stirring constantly to prevent it from scorching or burning. This can happen very easily, so be extra careful. Stir constantly!
At one stage, as the liquid in the mixture begins to dry up, it will bubble and splash, so be very careful while stirring the mixture as droplets can burn you badly. It might actually help to wear an oven glove/ mitt to protect your hand from the splatters during this stage.
Once the splattering stops (a sign that the Halwa is almost done), add the remaining ghee and the food coloring and stir well.
Keep cooking the mixture until most of the moisture in it dries up. It will start to come away from the sides of the pan now and you will also see a small amount of the ghee beginning to separate from it.
You will know the Halwa is ready when it no longer sticks to the pan at all. In fact when you look at the bottom of the pan, it will be clean!
Take the Halwa off the heat and spoon it onto a flat platter or plate to cool.
Serve warm or at room temperature in bowls, garnished with a pinch of thin almond slivers! Enjoy!
This delicious dessert redolent of cardamom and saffron is a huge favorite with my girls. The warm aroma of the roasting semolina and the cardamom in ghee quickly draws them to the kitchen and they wait with their hands on their hips with the continuous sing song “Is it done yet?…”
Halwa, as it is popularly known in the the Indian subcontinent (mostly in the Northern, Western and Eastern part of India), refers to a sweet confection made with semolina (or nuts or vegetables), sugar, and ghee and garnished with nuts.
Halwa goes by different names in different regions of India (alwa, alva, aluva to name a few). The halwa is also referred to as kesari or kesaribhaat in certain regions of India. Various types of halwa from India are distinguished by the region and the ingredients from which they are made. The Semolina and Almond Halwa I have made here is a deviation from the traditional; there is not a bit of nut powder used with semolina in the original ones. But this is the way I have been doing it for the longest time and this is how my family loves it.
While it is a common dessert in India, halwa is not just contained in the Indian subcontinent. Across the world almost every culture and country has claimed it to be its own. It is a widespread across Central and West Asia, Mediterranean Regions, North Africa, the Horn of Africa, the Balkans and the Jewish world and goes by different names as halva, halawa, haleweh, ħelwa, halvah, halava, helava, helva, halwa, aluva, chałwa
There are many faces of Halwa. Halwa in the Indian Subcontinent are made from semolina, wheat flour, white poppy seeds, chickpea flour, lentil flour and also from different fruits, nuts and vegetables like carrots, bananas, and bottle gourd. The most popular and the easiest one is the sooji/rawa or the semolina halwa.
A favorite way to eat semolina halwa in the northern regions of India is to eat with Poori – a deep fried puffed bread. Other than just being a kind of dessert, Halwa forms an integral part of the religious ceremonies and are usually served after the prayer is over, as a part of the “prasad” or food offered to God. It can be quickly made, and it a convenient dessert to make for a crowd as it does not involve any pre-cooking procedures .( I was amazed how contrary cultures can be across the world, for in Turkey the semolina halwa is generally served when someone dies.
Semolina and Almond Halwa
A few things to note:
In India, the semolina halwa is not made the way I have done here. No almond flour is used and it is made solely with semolina along with sugar, ghee, saffron, cardamom and nuts. I started adding the almond meal simply to increase the nutrition value and of course the flavor of almond is amazing in about anything it is added to. If you are reluctant to use the almond flour, use only semolina.
Do not skimp on the ghee. The texture and taste will not be right without enough ghee.
Add the sugar towards the end of the cooking process or the semolina will not cook well.
The halwa should be just soft enough and kind of sticky enough to hold on together to be shaped into a mold, but should not be gooey, runny and overcooked.
Most of the times raisins are used in this halwa; I have not used it here since no one in the family likes it. The use of the kind of nuts varies from one region to another. While the northern regions use almond and pistachios, the halwa in the southern regions of India usually contains cashews.
Almond Halwa
Ingredients:
1 cup semolina
1/2 cup almond meal
1/4 cup sliced almonds
1/4 cup ghee + 2 tablespoons ghee
2 + 1/4 cups milk or 2 + 1/4 cups water
1/2 cup + 4 tablespoons sugar or as per taste
a generous pinch of saffron
6 small green cardamoms, the seeds ground into a smooth powder
Preparation:
In a pan, add the milk and saffron and bring to a boil. Once it comes to a boil, take off the heat and set aside. (If you are using water instead of milk, combine the saffron and sugar and boil/simmer the water for about 7-10 minutes. set aside.)
In a large thick bottomed pan at medium heat (make sure the pan is completely dry), add the semolina and the almond meal and roast them at low to medium heat for about 3-4 minutes. The color of the semolina and the almond meal will turn light golden. This initial roasting eliminates the raw smell of the semolina.
Reduce the heat of the stove to low and add the ghee to this pan. Quickly stir everything together and add the cardamom powder. Keep stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, while pulling the semolina and the almond flour away from the walls of the pan and inside out. The semolina, almond meal will gradually turn a darker shade and will become very fragrant. You will see the semolina and the pan glistening with the ghee. You have to be patient and keep stirring so the semolina does not turn too dark. This process/step might take as long 15 minutes.
Add the thinly sliced almonds to the pan and stir them in gently making sure they do not break.
Remove the pan from the heat and pour the milk/or water that you had set aside into the pan. PLEASE BE CAREFUL!! The hot semolina and the milk will bubble and spit all over the place.. almost like an explosion – (well may be that is an exaggeration, but you have to take care anyway). Put the pan back on the stove and let the halwa cook, while stirring it constantly till all the liquid is just about absorbed and the mixture no more looks soupy. Add the sugar in the pan and keep stirring at low heat till all the liquid is absorbed and the semolina swells and gets cooked through, for about 5 -7 minutes or until the the mixture pulls away from the walls of the pan.
Switch off the heat and partially cover the pan for about 10 minutes. The texture should be sticky and lumpy and the semolina should soft; yet the grains of the semolina should feel separate and grainy.
This is how it should look like when done.
While not very hot but still warm, press the halwa in to molds if you wish. Turn it over on a plate and gently tap it out.
Serve warm garnished with more nuts.
I always try to make the halwa when the girls are home, for it is like a necessity for them to have it right away after it is cooked – spooned over straight from the pan to their bowls, warm, fragrant and delicious! However these little mould excite them too!
My older one has started helping me make this – measuring out, stirring and testing/tasting to see if it is done. May be soon she will be able to make some all by herself with only my supervision. I am patiently waiting for that day!
INGREDIENTS
3.5 cups whole almonds
1.5 cup milk
5 tbsps ghee
3 cups granulated sugar
1/2 tsp saffron strands (optional but recommended)
A few drops of yellow food coloring (optional)
1/2 tsp cardamom powder
Prep Time: 260 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 290 minutes
Yield: Serves 6-8 people
PREPARATION
Put the almonds in a deep bowl and add enough hot water to them to cover them. Leave them to soak for 3-4 hours. Once the almonds have soaked, remove their skins. To do this press each almond between a thumb and forefinger and slide your thumb forward. This will make the almond slip out of its skin. Do this for all the almonds. Discard the skins.
Put the skinless almonds into a blender and add the milk to them. Blend the mixture to form a coarse paste (the same consistency as sooji/ rawa).
Set up a deep, heavy-bottomed pan on medium heat. When it is hot, add 3 tbsps of ghee to it. When the ghee melts, add the almond-milk mixture to it. Stir well.
Now add the sugar to the mixture and stir to mix well.
Now add the saffron strands and mix well.
Cook the mixture on medium heat, stirring constantly to prevent it from scorching or burning. This can happen very easily, so be extra careful. Stir constantly!
At one stage, as the liquid in the mixture begins to dry up, it will bubble and splash, so be very careful while stirring the mixture as droplets can burn you badly. It might actually help to wear an oven glove/ mitt to protect your hand from the splatters during this stage.
Once the splattering stops (a sign that the Halwa is almost done), add the remaining ghee and the food coloring and stir well.
Keep cooking the mixture until most of the moisture in it dries up. It will start to come away from the sides of the pan now and you will also see a small amount of the ghee beginning to separate from it.
You will know the Halwa is ready when it no longer sticks to the pan at all. In fact when you look at the bottom of the pan, it will be clean!
Take the Halwa off the heat and spoon it onto a flat platter or plate to cool.
Serve warm or at room temperature in bowls, garnished with a pinch of thin almond slivers! Enjoy!
This delicious dessert redolent of cardamom and saffron is a huge favorite with my girls. The warm aroma of the roasting semolina and the cardamom in ghee quickly draws them to the kitchen and they wait with their hands on their hips with the continuous sing song “Is it done yet?…”
Halwa, as it is popularly known in the the Indian subcontinent (mostly in the Northern, Western and Eastern part of India), refers to a sweet confection made with semolina (or nuts or vegetables), sugar, and ghee and garnished with nuts.
Halwa goes by different names in different regions of India (alwa, alva, aluva to name a few). The halwa is also referred to as kesari or kesaribhaat in certain regions of India. Various types of halwa from India are distinguished by the region and the ingredients from which they are made. The Semolina and Almond Halwa I have made here is a deviation from the traditional; there is not a bit of nut powder used with semolina in the original ones. But this is the way I have been doing it for the longest time and this is how my family loves it.
While it is a common dessert in India, halwa is not just contained in the Indian subcontinent. Across the world almost every culture and country has claimed it to be its own. It is a widespread across Central and West Asia, Mediterranean Regions, North Africa, the Horn of Africa, the Balkans and the Jewish world and goes by different names as halva, halawa, haleweh, ħelwa, halvah, halava, helava, helva, halwa, aluva, chałwa
There are many faces of Halwa. Halwa in the Indian Subcontinent are made from semolina, wheat flour, white poppy seeds, chickpea flour, lentil flour and also from different fruits, nuts and vegetables like carrots, bananas, and bottle gourd. The most popular and the easiest one is the sooji/rawa or the semolina halwa.
A favorite way to eat semolina halwa in the northern regions of India is to eat with Poori – a deep fried puffed bread. Other than just being a kind of dessert, Halwa forms an integral part of the religious ceremonies and are usually served after the prayer is over, as a part of the “prasad” or food offered to God. It can be quickly made, and it a convenient dessert to make for a crowd as it does not involve any pre-cooking procedures .( I was amazed how contrary cultures can be across the world, for in Turkey the semolina halwa is generally served when someone dies.
Semolina and Almond Halwa
A few things to note:
In India, the semolina halwa is not made the way I have done here. No almond flour is used and it is made solely with semolina along with sugar, ghee, saffron, cardamom and nuts. I started adding the almond meal simply to increase the nutrition value and of course the flavor of almond is amazing in about anything it is added to. If you are reluctant to use the almond flour, use only semolina.
Do not skimp on the ghee. The texture and taste will not be right without enough ghee.
Add the sugar towards the end of the cooking process or the semolina will not cook well.
The halwa should be just soft enough and kind of sticky enough to hold on together to be shaped into a mold, but should not be gooey, runny and overcooked.
Most of the times raisins are used in this halwa; I have not used it here since no one in the family likes it. The use of the kind of nuts varies from one region to another. While the northern regions use almond and pistachios, the halwa in the southern regions of India usually contains cashews.
Almond Halwa
Ingredients:
1 cup semolina
1/2 cup almond meal
1/4 cup sliced almonds
1/4 cup ghee + 2 tablespoons ghee
2 + 1/4 cups milk or 2 + 1/4 cups water
1/2 cup + 4 tablespoons sugar or as per taste
a generous pinch of saffron
6 small green cardamoms, the seeds ground into a smooth powder
Preparation:
In a pan, add the milk and saffron and bring to a boil. Once it comes to a boil, take off the heat and set aside. (If you are using water instead of milk, combine the saffron and sugar and boil/simmer the water for about 7-10 minutes. set aside.)
In a large thick bottomed pan at medium heat (make sure the pan is completely dry), add the semolina and the almond meal and roast them at low to medium heat for about 3-4 minutes. The color of the semolina and the almond meal will turn light golden. This initial roasting eliminates the raw smell of the semolina.
Reduce the heat of the stove to low and add the ghee to this pan. Quickly stir everything together and add the cardamom powder. Keep stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, while pulling the semolina and the almond flour away from the walls of the pan and inside out. The semolina, almond meal will gradually turn a darker shade and will become very fragrant. You will see the semolina and the pan glistening with the ghee. You have to be patient and keep stirring so the semolina does not turn too dark. This process/step might take as long 15 minutes.
Add the thinly sliced almonds to the pan and stir them in gently making sure they do not break.
Remove the pan from the heat and pour the milk/or water that you had set aside into the pan. PLEASE BE CAREFUL!! The hot semolina and the milk will bubble and spit all over the place.. almost like an explosion – (well may be that is an exaggeration, but you have to take care anyway). Put the pan back on the stove and let the halwa cook, while stirring it constantly till all the liquid is just about absorbed and the mixture no more looks soupy. Add the sugar in the pan and keep stirring at low heat till all the liquid is absorbed and the semolina swells and gets cooked through, for about 5 -7 minutes or until the the mixture pulls away from the walls of the pan.
Switch off the heat and partially cover the pan for about 10 minutes. The texture should be sticky and lumpy and the semolina should soft; yet the grains of the semolina should feel separate and grainy.
This is how it should look like when done.
While not very hot but still warm, press the halwa in to molds if you wish. Turn it over on a plate and gently tap it out.
Serve warm garnished with more nuts.
I always try to make the halwa when the girls are home, for it is like a necessity for them to have it right away after it is cooked – spooned over straight from the pan to their bowls, warm, fragrant and delicious! However these little mould excite them too!
My older one has started helping me make this – measuring out, stirring and testing/tasting to see if it is done. May be soon she will be able to make some all by herself with only my supervision. I am patiently waiting for that day!
Indian Sweets Mithai Badam Halwa Recipes
Indian Sweets Mithai Badam Halwa Recipes
Indian Sweets Mithai Badam Halwa Recipes
Indian Sweets Mithai Badam Halwa Recipes
Indian Sweets Mithai Badam Halwa Recipes
Indian Sweets Mithai Badam Halwa Recipes
Indian Sweets Mithai Badam Halwa Recipes
Indian Sweets Mithai Badam Halwa Recipes
Indian Sweets Mithai Badam Halwa Recipes
Indian Sweets Mithai Badam Halwa Recipes
Indian Sweets Mithai Badam Halwa Recipes
Indian Sweets Mithai Badam Halwa Recipes
Indian Sweets Mithai Badam Halwa Recipes
Indian Sweets Mithai Badam Halwa Recipes
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