I’ve written about the Gajar or Carrot Halwa earlier. This is a winter dessert and not typically used as parshad or offering to the Gods. Atta Halwa, on the other hand, is something my father made on specific religious days. Continuing that tradition brings back lots of lovely memories and whips up a hot treat we can all enjoy.
Halwa is essentially a dessert made by combining a dry roasted flour or dry fruit powder or a grated fruit / vegetable with ghee, milk, nuts and a sweetener like sugar or jaggery. There are numerous varieties of halwa that exist in the Indian culinary tradition although this sweet isn’t native to India and probably originated in the Ottoman Empire. There’s a lovely article on the history of this dish here.
Ingredients
- Wheat Flour or Atta – 3/4 cup
- Gram Flour or Besan – 1/4 cup
- Cardamom Powder – 1/2 tsp.
- Granulated White Sugar – 1/2 cup
- Jaggery Powder – 1/4 cup
- Water – about 2-3 cups
- Ghee – 6 tbsp. (plus 2 tbsp if the halwa feels dry)
- Chopped Cashew Nuts – 8-10
Method
Heat ghee in a heavy bottomed kadhai. Roast chopped cashew nuts and set aside. Add the wheat flour and gram flour to the ghee and keep stirring over a medium to low flame until the mixture turns a reddish hue and gives off a lovely aroma. Add the sugar, jaggery and cardamom powder and mix well. Add in the water and stir till the water dries out. You can add a tbsp of ghee again in the mixture seems dry or if you love ghee 🙂 Take off the flame, garnish with the cashew nuts and serve hot.
Dalchini 
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