Milk Halwa

Recipe No: 253

Have you ever had an opportunity to taste Milk Halwa from ‘Ann’s Bakery’? It is one good Halwa and of course one of my favorites too...well along with a most of the other 'Ann's' specialties... (you will know it if you read some of my previous posts!!) Even though it took some time for me to get this recipe somewhere near 'Ann's' Halwa, the efforts were truly worth, considering the fact that we are big time fans of these.

Ingredients                                     Makes around 1.25 Kg

• Milk……………………..........….3 Cups
• Milkmaid……………...........….1- 14 oz can/ 397 gm can
• Maida/ All Purpose Flour…3/4 Cup
• Tapioca Pearls…..................1/3 Cups (Chavvari/ Sabudhana)
• Sugar……………………......…...2 Cups
• Ghee………………………….…...1/2 Cup
• Cashew Nut pieces…………..1/3 Cup
• Cardamom Powder…..…….1/2 Teaspoon

Method of Preparation

1. Cook Tapioca Pearls with 2 Cups of Water for 15 minutes (after boiling) and strain it thoroughly. (There will be some Tapioca Pearls left without dissolving; please discard it.) Keep aside till ready to be used.
2. Dissolve Flour in 3 cups of Water and strain it into a wide pan. Put this on  medium heat and stir continuously till thickened.
3. Add the Milk to the thick batter on the stove and mix properly without any lumps.
4. Stir continuously for around 20 minutes on medium heat till the Flour cooks well. This step is important as it cooks the Flour taking away the raw smell and taste, so please don't try to rush.
5. Add cooked and strained Tapioca Pearls, Milkmaid and the Sugar; continue cooking for another 10-20 minutes. (By this time you will be able to see the bottom of the pan while stirring.

6. Add the Ghee and continue cooking. Once it starts to come from the sides, add Cashew nuts and mix well.
7. When you see small droplets of Oil  oozing out and the Halwa is coming together as a mass, mix in the Cardamom Powder.
8. Remove it into an oiled pan and level the top off with the back of an oiled spoon.
9. Let it sit at room temperature and cool completely before cutting it into pieces and serving at room temperature.

Notes:

• As this is a Sugar based Halwa, don’t cook it too long after it starts to come off the sides (Very small droplets of Oil should be present on the sides of the pan.) or it will become too hard when cools.
• As per this recipe the Halwa is moderately sweet. Like most of the other Halwa, if you want it on the sweeter side, do add some more Sugar.
• You have to cook the Halwa for sometime after adding the Sugar to get that signature color from 'Ann's' Halwa (form a bit of caramelization) as it wont look pretty without that color (happened to me many times) and the taste will be a bit different too.
• Do strain the Tapioca pearls while hot; otherwise it will become very hard to strain.
• Constant stirring throughout the process is very traditional for Halwa, and I recommend doing the same here too or the mixture may stick to the bottom (see the dark bits here and there in the pic, I am referring to that!) and can result in hard portions here and there in the finished Halwa.
• The amount of Ghee given here is very less when compared to the 'Halwa standards' (the reason why not so much Ghee is oozing out towards the end.), so please do add more if you want it rich and traditional. If you want, please do substitute Ghee with Dalda.
• Use a wide pan rather than a deep pan for making Halwa, so that the moisture will evaporate fast.

 


Make it, enjoy the deliciousness and 
serve it to your family with love…