A dessert that will enchant you…
Feeling so happy today, it’s Friday, it’s a long weekend and it’s Thanksgiving. Besides these, after a few weeks of rain and gloomy weather Mother nature has decided to put a smile on our faces by giving us some warmth and sunshine. The weather has been really great since yesterday, it feels like Summer is back. For the long weekend, we are planning to do some travel and to spend some time with our good friends.
I have one good news to share with you all I have been chosen as the top 50 best food bloggers of 2011 and I am ranked 17. Here is the official announcement .
To start with this recipe, it’s a halwa or halva which means ‘sweet’. Halwa is a very famous sweet in India, Middle East, Eastern Europe etc. There are a myriad ways of making halwa, and there are an endless selection of ingredients to play with. Each type of halwa has its own characteristics and taste, it’s in deed worth exploring the yummy world of halwa. I’ve tried making halwa with ingredients like semolina, squash, coconut etc and have tasted quite a few too. I love each and every halwa that I’ve tasted, it just melts into your mouth.
A good thing about halwa is that you could make it without adding any flour, so even gluten intolerant people can enjoy it. A few weeks ago, I had bought ground almonds hoping to make something out of it. When I bought it, I didn’t think that I would end up making halwa with it. The thought of making halwa with it hit me all of a sudden on a Sunday evening, when I had nothing to subside my sweet craving.
When I make halwa I usually add condensed milk to it, but this time I ignored that and just added milk. It tasted no different from the ones made with condensed milk. So, here you have the recipe for making halwa without adding condensed milk and in the quickest way possible.
Happy Thanksgiving!!!
Almond Saffron Halwa
Ingredients:
- Ground almonds, unroasted- 1 cup
- Cardamom, smashed whole- 3
- Milk, whole or skim- 3/4 cup
- Sugar- 1/4 cup + 3 tbsp
- Saffron- 10 strands
- Raisin- 3 tbsp
- Ghee- 3 tbsp
Instruction
- I used ground almonds. If you don’t have ground almonds, blanch whole almonds, remove the skin, dry it really well and then grind it in a blender to a coarse powder.
- Fry the raisins in 2 tsp ghee and keep aside.
- In a bowl, combine milk, sugar and add saffron to it, keep aside.
- Place a non-stick pan over medium heat, add 1 tbsp ghee.
- Add ground almonds and smashed whole cardamoms to it.
- Roast the almonds till it starts to turn light golden in color, and make sure not to brown it.
- First add half of the milk/sugar/saffron mix to the roasted almonds, stir it constantly till all the milk dries off.
- Add 1 tbsp ghee to it and combine well.
- Now, add the rest of the milk stirring constantly, let it come to a boil and cook till all the milk dries off.
- Add fried raisins to the mixture, and fold into the halwa.
- Make sure the halwa is not watery, it should be a moist dry mixture.
- Grease a ramekin or a bowl evenly with 1 tsp ghee.
- Pour the halwa into it and evenly spread the top using a spatula.
- Let the halwa cool down and let set for 15-20 minutes.
- After it has cooled down, run a sharp knife through the sides of the bowl.
- Cover the bowl with a plate and turn it upside down and tap on the bottom of the bowl.
- The halwa will fall onto the plate (don’t forget to grease the bowl).
- If you want you could garnish it with a couple of strands of saffron.
- To make the halwa look more appealing, I pressed the sides of the halwa with a fork. (Optional)
Tips:
- You could even add roasted cashew nuts or your favorite nuts to this halwa.
- If you prefer you can even chill this halwa for some time.
- Ground almonds, unroasted- 1 cup
- Cardamom, smashed whole- 3
- Milk, whole or skim- ¾ cup
- Sugar- ¼ cup + 3 tbsp
- Saffron- 10 strands
- Raisin- 3 tbsp
- Ghee- 3 tbsp
- I used ground almonds. If you don't have ground almonds, blanch whole almonds, remove the skin, dry it really well and then grind it in a blender to a coarse powder.
- Fry the raisins in 2 tsp ghee and keep aside.
- In a bowl, combine milk, sugar and add saffron to it, keep aside.
- Place a non-stick pan over medium heat, add 1 tbsp ghee.
- Add ground almonds and smashed whole cardamoms to it.
- Roast the almonds till light golden in color, make sure not to brown it.
- First add half of the milk/sugar/saffron mix to the roasted almonds, stir it constantly till all the milk dries off.
- Add 1 tbsp ghee to it and combine well.
- Now, add the rest of the milk stirring constantly, let it come to a boil and cook till all the milk dries off.
- Add fried raisins to the mixture, fold into the halwa.
- Make sure the halwa is not watery, it should be a moist dry mixture.
- Grease a ramekin or a bowl evenly with 1 tsp ghee.
- Pour the halwa into the bowl and evenly spread the top using a spatula.
- Let the halwa cool down and let set for 15 to 20 minutes.
- After it has cooled down, run a sharp knife through the sides of the bowl.
- Cover the bowl with a plate and turn upside down and tap on the bottom of the bowl.
- The halwa will fall onto the plate (don't forget to grease the bowl).
- If you want you could garnish with a couple of strands of saffron.
- To make the halwa look more appealing, I pressed the sides of the halwa with a fork. (Optional)
If you prefer you can even chill this halwa for sometime.
