5 Halva Recipes: Diwali Special

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Diwali is here, Yay! More than the crackers, it’s time for a fun get-together with family and friends and lots of Sweets, of course. Starting with Ganesha Chaturthi and Dasara, Diwali ends the Hindu festival season in a grand scale and then sets the atmosphere later for Christmas and New year.

photo credit: phxpma

Deepavali (festival of lights) is when the whole of India and Indian communities abroad, is decked with bright lights, mad-shopping and colors everywhere. Ok, coming to the food part; Deepavali is also the time to gorge on sweets and tons of them!

Here is a collection of 5 types of Halwa (Halva) Recipes. These have been adapted from a Tamil magazine and collated by my sister Harini.

Find links to other Halva and Sweet Recipes for this festival at the end of this article.

Almonds or Badam Halwa

Ingredients

• Milk, Sugar- 1 cup each
• Almonds or Badam- ½ cup
• Ghee- ½ cup

How to make

1. Soak the almonds in water overnight and blanch it.

2. (Blanching is soaking and removing the peels of the almond.

3. Remove the outer skin and grind into smooth paste using milk for grinding.

4. Mix little water to sugar and heat it in a heavy bottomed kadai or oan or vessel till it is dissolved and once when one string consistency is reached.

5. Add badam or almond paste and cook till it becomes thick.

6. When the halwa sticks to bottom, Add ghee little by little and cook till halwa consistency is reached.

• Milk- 2 litre
• Ghee- 1 tablespoon
• Powdered Cashews – 1 tablespoon
• Sugar – 2 ½ cup
• Lemon Salt- ¼ teaspoon

How to make

1. Heat a heavy bottomed pan and boil milk till it reduces to three fourth of its consistency.

2. Add sugar, and lemon salt and cook for another few minutes.

3. Fry cashewnuts in ghee and add to the halwa.

4. Add little more ghee if necessary.

5. When halwa consistency is reached , remove from fire.

Ingredients

• Seedless Dates- 1 cup
• Sugar- 1 cup
• Ghee- 1 cup
• Milk- ½ cup
• Almonds
• cashews – little

Method

1. Soak the dates in hot water, for about 1 hour and grind it along with milk.

2. Heat a heavy bottomed pan, Add Sugar with little water

3. When it reaches one string consistency, add the grinded date paste, cashews, almonds, and saffron.

4. Keep stirring till it becomes little thick.

5. When the halwa sticks to bottom, Add ghee little by little and cook till halwa consistency is reached. 6. Decorate with cashews or almonds.

• Wheat Flour- 1 cup
• Sugar- 1 cup
• Ghee- 1 cup
• Milk- 1 cup
• Cashews- 1 tablespoon
• Almonds- 1  tablespoon
• Cardamom Powder- ½ teaspoon

How to make

1. Heat a heavy bottomed pan, Add half cup ghee and wheat flour.

2. Fry till the raw smell goes.

3. Then add milk to it and keep stirring continuously until it becomes thick.

4. Then add sugar, remaining ghee and keep stirring till it reaches halwa consistency.

5. Then add cashews and almonds and remove from fire.

Ingredients

• Wheat Milk- 1 cup
• Coconut Milk- 1 cup
• Buffalo/Cow Milk- 1 cup
• Sugar- 3 cups
• Cardamom powder- ½ tsp
• Chopped Cashews and almonds – 2 tsp

How to make

1. Heat a pan, Add sugar with little water( 1 cup ). Stir until dissolved.

2. Then now, add all 3 types of milk to it and keep stirring till it reaches halwa consistency

3. Then add cardamom powder, chopped cashews and almonds and remove from fire.

4. When adding the milk in the sugar syrup, It will stick but it melts quickly if you keep stirring.

1. Halwas and Laddoos Recipes from Indian Food Kitchen
2. Indian Sweets Recipes
3. Besan Halvafrom Raji’s Kitchen
4. Godhi (Wheat) Halwa from Chitra Amma’s Kitchen