Dry Fruit Halwa

Another halwa which is healthy and nutritious that an be made as a prasad for festivals and functions and get togethers. 

Ingredients: 

Almods - 1 cup

Cashew nuts - 1 cup

Dates - 6 nos

Raisins - 6 nos

Pista - 6 nos

Milk - 1/2 cup

Sugar - 1 cup

Ghee - 2 tbsp

Method:

Soak the almonds and cashew nuts seperately over night. Next day morning remove the skin of the almonds and grind it along with the cashew nuts to a fine paste by adding 2 tbsp of milk. 

Chop th pista and dates finely and mix it with the raisins.

Add the paste to a hard botto pan and saute it by tossing it from bottom to up witout burning it but it should become golden colour. Add sugar,mixed dry fruits and 1 tbsp of ghee and keep mixinng it and stirring it constantly. Keep adding milk little by little. Let it thicken. Add the remaining ghee. Once it thickens spread it on a ghee greased plate. Let it cool cut into pieces. 

Different types of Halwas

 Halwas are favourites for many. A sweet dish originated from the middle east this dish Halwa got quite famous in India and  the most famous one is the Tirunelveli halwa though there are various halwa recipes from all parts of India. Generally halwas are made using flours, nuts and fruits. Ghee, rose water, milk and saffron are used as additives, honey, sugar, milk powder cocoa powder are used as sweetners. Made either with single ingredient or with a mixture of multiple ingredient, halwa have become an integral part of any feast spread. 

Wheat Halwa

Mango Halwa Using Microwave

Mango Halwa

Banana Halwa

Badam Halwa

Easy Badam Halwa

Beetroot Halwa

Carrot Halwa

Carror Halwa using microwave

Moong dal Halwa

Ashoka Halwa

Kasi Halwa

Damroot Halwa

Wheat rawa pineapple Halwa

Oats Halwa

Oats Halwa

Many of us eat Oats at home regularly. So there is always a stock of this at home. When we have guests at home, it is one easy dish that can be made quickly.

Ingredients:
Oats - 2 cups
Sugar - 4 cups
Ghee - 3/4 cup
Elaichi Powder - 2 tbsp
Cashew nut - 20 nos
Food colour - 1/4 tsp
Milk - 1 cup
Water - 4 cups

Method:
In a hard bottom vessel add Oats, water and milk and mix well and keep stirring till all mix together and forms a lump. Add sugar mix well. In 2 spoons of water mix the food colour and add to the mix and stir completely. Add ghee little at a time and mix well. Add cardamom powder and mix again. When the mixture starts becoming non sticky add the remaining ghee, fried cashew nuts and mix well.

Wait for the OPOS version of the same. 

Wheat Rawa Pineapple Halwa

Recipe posted by Gowri Suresh

Ingredients
Wheat Rava- 1cup
sugar 1 cup
Ghee- 3tbspoon
Pineapple small tin
safforn
roasted cashewnuts for decoration


Method:
Dry roast wheatrava with little ghee.Powder this along with sugar in a blenderIn Vanali(only sweet making vanali) mix this along with 2 cup waterIn 2 cups water we can use pineapple syrup also.Stir well by adding little by little gheeAdd pineapple pieces in last 5 mtsFinally add saffron soaked in milk It takes 15-20 mts to get cooked well.Transfer this to ghee greased tray Decorate this with roasted cashew .We can cut this into diamond or square shape or appdiye sapdalam.

Recipe for Mango Halwa

Ingredients:
Mango Extract - 2 cups (extracted without adding water)
Sugar - 1/4 cup
Ghee - 2 tbsp
Honey - 2 tbsp
Almonds - 12 nos
Cashew Nuts - 12 nos
Dry ginger powder - 1/4 tsp

Method:
In a pan add sugar and 1 tbsp of water and make it a syrup. When the syrup becomes sticky add mango juice and honey. Mix well and when the mixture starts thickening sprinkle the dry ginger powder and mix thoroughly again. When the mixture becomes thick add ghee. Remove from flame when the mixture comes as a ball and does not stick to the sides of the vessel. 

Spread on a ghee smeared plate and put slices when it becomes cool. Decorate each piece with cashew and Almond pieces.

Note: Choose Alphonso mango for making this Halwa. Avoid ghee if you are diet conscious. Increase the  honey, if you are avoiding or reducing the quantity of sugar. 

Banana Halwa - Recipe to surprise your sudden visitors.

A simple and easy to make sweet when there are excess bananas available at home.


Ingredients:
Banana - 6 nos (ripe)
Sugar - 1/4 cup
Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp
Ghee - 1/4 cup
Cashews - 8 nos

Method:
Mash the bananas thoroughly (If needed can also be blended in a blender without adding water).

In a hard bottom pan add the mashed bananas, 4 tbsp of ghee and sugar and stir constantly till mixture bubbles and turns to a nice brown colour. Add the cardamom powder and mix well. Add the remaining ghee and when the mixture leaves the sides of the pan and when it is able to roll into a ball, it can be removed from flame. Spread on a ghee smeared plate and let it cool. Cut into square or diamond shaped pieces.

Heat 1 tbsp of ghee and fry the cashew nuts. Decorate each piece with one fried cashewnut piece.

Wheat Halwa - A very easy to make sweet recipe

One of the simplest sweet that can be made very easily.

Ingredients:

Wheat flour - 1 cups

Sugar - 2 cups

Ghee - 1 1/2 cups

Cashew Nuts - 10 to 12 nos

Cardamom - 6 to 8 nos

Water - 2 cups

Method:

Fry Wheat flour in 1/4 cup of ghee. When fried nicely add a little more ghee and make it paste. In the mean time heat 2 cups of water, bring it to boil. In a hard bottom pan add the fried wheat and water and make it a fine paste. Add the sugar to it and bring it to boil. Add cardamom powder to it and mix well. Keep stirring and keep adding the remaining ghee. Add the fried cashew nuts to it. When it turns glassy remove from fire and spread on a ghee greased plate. 

Badam Halwa|Almond Halwa

Ingredients:
Almonds - 1/2 kg
Sugar - 7 cups
Cashew Nuts - 25 to 30 nos
Cardamom - 12 nos
Pachai Karpooram (edible camphor) - a pinch (optional)
Saffron strands - a pinch
Kesari colour - 1 pinch
Ghee - 1 1/2 cups

Method:
Soak and peel the skin of almonds. Grind it to a very fine paste. Wash the mixer with 1/4 cup of water and add it to the badam paste and make it to a batter consistency. In a hard bottom pan, add sugar and 1/4 cup of water and make a thick 1 string consistency sugar syrup. Add the badam paste to it and keep stirring till both mixes well. In a tbsp of water mix saffron strands and kesari colour and add it to the paste. When the whole mixture starts hardening, add the ghee slowly. (The entire quantity of ghee might be a bit too much, so it have to be added little by little). 

Break the cashewnuts into pieces and fry them in ghee. Add it to the hardening paste and mix well. Grind cardamom to a fine powder and add it to the pan. Crush the edible camphor into fine powder and sprinkle on top of the mixture and mix thoroughly so that it blends in evenly.

When the ghee starts separating from the sides of the pan, remove from flame and spread it in a ghee smeared plate and let it cool. 

Note: The almonds can be ground to a fine paste using 2 cups of water too to enhance the taste. 

Kasi Halwa

Ingredients:

White Pumpkin - grated 2 cups

Ghee - 1 cup

Sugar - 1 1/2 cups
Cardomom Powder - 2 pinches

Cashew nuts - 12 broken and fried in a spoon of ghee

Milk - 1 cup

Method:

                   Boil sugar with 3/4th cup of water and make sugar syrup of 1 thread consistency. Heat 2 to 4 tbspns of ghee in a hard bottom vessel and saute the grated pumpkin.   Add the milk to pumpkin and cook it in the milk till the pumpkin is soft. Mash it well in the milk while cooking. Add the sugar syrup to the pumpkin slowly constantly stirring. Add the remaining ghee slowly till it is absorbed completely. Keep cooking till the halwa leaves the sides of the vessel.  Remove from flame, add the cardamom powder and mix well. Decorate it with fried cashew nuts. 

How to make Carrot Halwa in Microwave

One of my most favourite sweet is Carrot Halwa. When we got our new microwave, I tried this and it really turned out well. 

Ingredients:
Carrot - 2 cups grated
Milk - 1 1/2 cup
Sugar - 1 cup
Cashew nuts - 10 to 12
Cardomom Powder - From 4 to 6 pieces
Ghee - 2 Tbsp

Method:
In a deep Microwave bowl, add milk and carrot. The mixture should reach only half of the vessel. The vessel should be that deep. Keep it in micro high for 10 mins. Give a standing time of 5 to 6 mins and then remove from oven and add sugar to it. Mix well and micro high for another 8 mins. Remove from oven after a standing time of 3 mins. In a small microwave glass bowl, add a spoon of ghee and broken cashewnut pieces. Keep for 2 mins and bring it to golden brown. Remove from oven and add it to the Carrot Halwa. Add cardomom powder. Serve hot or cold. A great dessert.

To get this recipe in Tamil

Moong Dal Halwa - Typical Rajasthani style Recipe

While we had been to Olives in Deccan Plaza, we were served this Moong Dal Halwa, it was dry and coarse, not the regular halwas that we had always.

Ingredients:
Moong Dal - 100 1 cup
Ghee - 2 cups
Sugar - 1 cup
Water - 1/2 cup
Badam - 10 to 12 pieces
Pista - 6 pieces(unsalted)
Raisins - 6

Method:
Soak moong dal in water for 2 hours, drain and grind it coarsely. In a pan add sugar and 2 spoons of water and make sugar syrup. In another pan heat ghee and add moong dal to it. Keep mixing till it turns golden brown and leaves the sides. Put moong dal in sugar syrup and cook on low flame till all the ingredients mix well and blend together. Remove from fire and decorate it with badam, pista and raisins.

காரட் அல்வா - மைக்ரோவேவ்

துருவிய காரட் - இரண்டு கப்
பால் - ஒன்றரை கப்
சர்க்கரை - ஒரு கப்
வறுத்த முந்திரி - இரண்டு ஸ்பூன்
நெய் - இரண்டு ஸ்பூன்

காரட் பால் இரண்டையும், ஆழமான மைக்ரோவேவ் பத்திரத்தில் போட்டு நன்கு கலக்கி விடவும். இரண்டும் சேர்ந்து அரை பாத்திர அளவே இருக்க வேண்டும். அதனால் நல்ல ஆழமான பத்திரமாக எடுத்து கொள்ளவும். மைக்ரோ ஹையில் எட்டு நிமிடங்கள் வைக்கவும். ஐந்து நிமிடங்கள் ஸ்டாண்டிங் டைம் குடுத்து வெளியில் எடுக்கவும். அதில் சர்க்கரை சேர்த்து மீண்டும் எட்டு நிமிடம் வைக்கவும். மூன்று நிமிடம் ஸ்டாண்டிங் டைம் குடுத்து பின்னர் அதில் நெய், முந்திரி, ஏலக்காய் சேர்த்து ஒரு நிமிடம் வைக்கவும்.

இதை சூடாகும் சாபிடலாம், சில் என சாபிடாலும் நன்றாக இருக்கும்.

Recipe to make Carrot Halwa in Tamil (காரட் அல்வா)

துருவிய காரட் - இரண்டு கப்
பால் - ஒன்றரை கப்
சர்க்கரை - ஒரு கப்
வறுத்த முந்திரி - இரண்டு ஸ்பூன்
நெய் - இரண்டு ஸ்பூன்

காரட்டை பாலில் வேக வைக்கவும். அத்துடன் சர்க்கரை, நெய் சேர்த்து நன்கு கிளறவும். சுரண்டு வரும் பொழுது, முந்திரி தூவி இறக்கவும்

How to make Mango Halwa (Using Microwave)

Here comes the summer and also comes the Mango Season. Let me start my recipie list with one of my favourites.
The time taken to prepare and cook this Halwa is 45 minutes. The quantity that I have given here will serve 12 people. Increase the quantity proportionately for more people.

Ingredients:
Ripe mango peel skin and cut into small pieces or mashed into a pulp - 2 cups
Sugar - 1 Cup
Ghee - 1 Tbsp

Method:
Take the mango pulp and sugar in a micro proof casselore or a shallow glass dish and cook in a micro high for 4 mins. The bowl should not be closed. Remove from the oven, mix well and cook in micro medium for 16 mins. Keep stirring in between. Let it cool for 2 mins and mix it well and micro high for another 3 mins. This will help the halwa to thicken. Add the ghee and mix well and let it stand for another 2 mins.