Hot bowl of halwa

Welcome the New Year with mouth-watering, delectable and nutty halwas like pumpkin halwa, ananas kesari, etc.

Awadhi halwa

Ingredients

Sooji 1 cup

Ghee cup

Mixture of cashew nuts and whole

Raisins cup

Hot water 3 cups

Whole or full cream milk cup

Sugar cup

Green cardamom split 5

Tutti frutti 2 tbsp

Rice paper sheet 2

Method

Heat a deep pan on medium heat and add ghee. When it melts, add sooji and mix. Stirring frequently till light golden. Add dryfruits mixture and mix.

In a separate pot and on medium heat, bring a mixture of milk, water, sugar and cardamom to a boil. Gently add this mixture to roasted sooji, stirring continuously to prevent lumps formation.

Cook the mixture till it is thick. Serve in bowls made with rice paper sheet, garnished with tutti frutti.

Recipe courtesy: The Metropolitan Hotel & Spa

Ananas kesari

Ingredients

Pineapple dice cup

Sooji 1 cup

Sugar 1 cup

Saffron, few strands

Ghee cup

Broken cashew nuts 30 gm

Raisins 20 gm

Method Pour ghee into a kadhai and add cashew nuts.

Add sooji and raisins. Stir for a while and add hot water (2 cups).

Add sugar and saffron. Finish with pineapple. Garnish with cashews. Serve hot.

Recipe courtesy: chef Veena Arora, The Spice Route, The Imperial

Kashmiri halwa

Ingredients Oats 1 cup

Sugar cup

Milk 2 cup

Desi ghee 4 tsp

Green cardamom powder 1 tsp

Few saffron threads

Cashew nuts, almonds and raisins

Method

In a non-stick pan, heat 2-3 tsp ghee and fry oats on low heat.

Heat milk and sugar in a pan and bring it to a boil. Once the sugar dissolves completely add fried oats and stir continuously.

Add cardamom powder and the remaining ghee. Add saffron threads for colour and aroma.

Stir until the mixture leaves sides of the pan. Remove from fire and garnish with fried cashews and raisins. Serve warm.

Recipe courtesy: The Metropolitan Hotel & Spa

Pumpkin halwa

Ingredients

White pumpkin, grated 2

A pinch of edible yellow food colour

Water cup

Sugar cup

Pumpkin seeds 1 tbsp

Ghee 2 tbsp

Cardamom powder tsp

Method Heat a tablespoon of ghee in a pan. Add grated white pumpkin and water and sauté. Cook for 10 minutes till it is completely cooked. Once done, add sugar and mix.

Keep stirring till the sugar dissolves. Add cardamom powder and the remaining ghee.

Keep stirring till it starts to leave from the sides of the pan. Add dry pumpkin seeds and mix. Serve warm.

Recipe courtesy: chef Anil Khurana, Hyatt Regency

Beetroot halwa

Ingredients

Beetroots, grated 2

Red or orange carrots, peeled and grated 4

Full cream milk 2 cups

Condensed milk 200 ml

Cardamom powder tsp

Sugar 4 tbsp

Cashew nuts, chopped 2 tbsp

Almonds, flaked 2 tbsp

Pistachios, flaked 2 tbsp

Raisins 2 tbsp

Ghee 4 tbsp

Method

Heat ghee in a pressure cooker, add grated carrots, beetroot and fry for 3-4 minutes. Add milk. Close the lid and bring to full pressure on high heat. Remove cooker immediately from heat and remove the lid after it cools down.

Place it again on high heat, add sugar and condensed milk and cook until the liquid dries up (approx for 15-20 minutes) stirring occasionally. Add cardamom powder and cook until the ghee separates from the mixture.

Heat ghee in a small pan and fry cashews and raisins and add this to the halwa. Garnish with flaked almonds and pistachios and serve hot.

Recipe courtesy: chef Amrita Mukherjee from Qubitos

Mewe ka nazrana

Ingredients

Almonds 45 gm

Cashew nuts 45 gm

Pine nuts 40

Raisins 10 gm

Figs 35 gm

Walnuts 25 gm

Pistachio 10 gm

Ghee 1 cup

Sugar 1 cup

Sooji cup

Whole-wheat flour cup

Water 3 cups

Cardamom powder of 4-5 pods Method

Soak all the nuts overnight in hot water. Strain extra water and peel the soaked nuts. Grind them to make a purée.

Leave 10 gm of pine nuts, pistachio, raisins and almonds for garnish. Pour ghee into a kadhai and add the purée of nuts with wheat flour and sooji. Stir on low flame till golden brown.

Add water, sugar and cardamom powder. Garnish with roughly chopped nuts. Serve hot.

Recipe courtesy: Rajneesh Wakhloo, a passionate home chef

Makai ka halwa

Ingredients Grated sweet corn kernels of 2 cobs 400 gm

Sugar as per taste 160 gm

Ghee 70 gm

Milk 300 gm

Cardamom power tsp

Dry fruits for garnishing

Mava 80 gm

Method

Heat ghee in a wok. Add grated sweet corn and sauté till golden brown. Add mava and mix. Continue stirring and add milk and sugar.

Add cardamom powder and continue stirring till it begins to leave ghee. Add chopped dry fruits and mix. Serve hot.

Recipe courtesy: chef Madhusudan Prasad, Holachef