The first time I had this rich Indian dessert it was at a friend's housewarming party in Kolkata .I learnt from my friend that badam halwa was a staple in any celebration of Marwaris, a community originally from Rajasthan with a strong presence in Kolkata. I had enjoyed the halwa, so had Daddy D.We waited for our next invite from a Marwari friend for our next fill of the halwa :-)
The next time we had badam halwa was on a Rakhi invite ...... you guessed right from another friend who happen to be Marwaris. Mrs P had made the halwa at home,taking instructions from her mother over the phone.This actually got me thinking that "oh... this can be made at home".
I didn't get to the halwa making right away.We welcomed our princess into our lives and for the next 8-9 months,cooking became an activity necessary for survival.When our princess was 9 months old,I wanted to cook again ....this time to please my baby who had started taking an interest in grown up's food.
It was during Diwali of last year, I had my third encounter with badam halwa. This time I decided I needed to know how it's made.Mrs T told me how she made it,which had "khus-khus" poppy seeds along with ground almonds.I decided to drop the poppy seeds and use just almonds.I did not want to give Baby A any poppy seeds.
The first time I made it, I reduced milk over low flame and then used it for the halwa. The next time to save effort I used condensed milk out of the tin.The result is not exactly the same.We all voted for the reduced milk at home but you can use condensed milk.Whatever suits your lifestyle....:-)
For making the halwa
Milk -1 liter
Almonds-1 cup
Sugar-3 tablespoons
Ghee-2 tablespoons
Soak the almonds overnight.Remove the skin of the soaked almonds and then grind it to a rough sandy consistency. If you need to add any liquid for grinding you can add a tablespoon of milk.The water in the soaked almonds is usually enough for a rough grind.
Reduce the milk on low heat till it become roughly about a cup in quantity.
Now in a pan heat the ghee.Add the ground almonds and fry till the rawness of the almonds goes away.It will take about 7-8 mins on a medium low flame.Now add in the reduced milk or a cup of condensed milk.
It will now start to bubble up like a halwa. Keep stirring and add in the sugar.Give it about 5 more mins to reduce and now your badam halwa is ready to be devoured.
If you are adding sweetened condensed milk,there is no need to add any sugar.
The next time we had badam halwa was on a Rakhi invite ...... you guessed right from another friend who happen to be Marwaris. Mrs P had made the halwa at home,taking instructions from her mother over the phone.This actually got me thinking that "oh... this can be made at home".
I didn't get to the halwa making right away.We welcomed our princess into our lives and for the next 8-9 months,cooking became an activity necessary for survival.When our princess was 9 months old,I wanted to cook again ....this time to please my baby who had started taking an interest in grown up's food.
It was during Diwali of last year, I had my third encounter with badam halwa. This time I decided I needed to know how it's made.Mrs T told me how she made it,which had "khus-khus" poppy seeds along with ground almonds.I decided to drop the poppy seeds and use just almonds.I did not want to give Baby A any poppy seeds.
The first time I made it, I reduced milk over low flame and then used it for the halwa. The next time to save effort I used condensed milk out of the tin.The result is not exactly the same.We all voted for the reduced milk at home but you can use condensed milk.Whatever suits your lifestyle....:-)
For making the halwa
Milk -1 liter
Almonds-1 cup
Sugar-3 tablespoons
Ghee-2 tablespoons
Soak the almonds overnight.Remove the skin of the soaked almonds and then grind it to a rough sandy consistency. If you need to add any liquid for grinding you can add a tablespoon of milk.The water in the soaked almonds is usually enough for a rough grind.
Reduce the milk on low heat till it become roughly about a cup in quantity.
Now in a pan heat the ghee.Add the ground almonds and fry till the rawness of the almonds goes away.It will take about 7-8 mins on a medium low flame.Now add in the reduced milk or a cup of condensed milk.
It will now start to bubble up like a halwa. Keep stirring and add in the sugar.Give it about 5 more mins to reduce and now your badam halwa is ready to be devoured.
If you are adding sweetened condensed milk,there is no need to add any sugar.
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