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Halvasan
Milk and cracked wheat sweet
હલવાસન: Khambhat's chewy, grainy sweet of split milk, cracked wheat, ghee, gum and nutmeg (plus 4 hours soaking)
Khambhat, the old port town at the head of the Gulf, is where halvasan comes from, and its sweet shops still sell the chewy, nutmeg-heavy rounds wrapped in paper to visitors from Ahmedabad and Vadodara. Milk is split so it turns grainy, then cooked down with soaked cracked wheat, ghee, sugar and a little puffed edible gum until it is dark gold and chewy, rather like a cross between a halwa and a barfi. The mistake to avoid is undercooking: if it is taken off while still soft and sticky, the rounds never set and turn greasy. Chef's tip: keep cooking until the mass rolls around the pan as one lump and a drop pressed between two fingers feels tacky but not wet.
- Total time
- 95 min
- Difficulty
- hard
- Serves
- 16
Ingredients
For the halvasan
- 2 ⅛ oz fine cracked wheat (lapsi or daliya)soaked 4 hours in water, drained
- 6 ¼ cups full-fat milk
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 5 ½ oz ghee
- ⅔ oz edible gum (gond)
- 7 oz sugar
- ½ tsp grated nutmeg
- ½ tsp ground cardamom
To top
- ⅞ oz pistachiossliced
- ½ oz almondssliced
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Method
0/8 doneStep 1: Grind the drained 2 ⅛ oz fine cracked wheat (lapsi or daliya) with 2 tbsp water to a coarse paste.
3 minStep 2: Bring 6 ¼ cups full-fat milk to the boil in a wide, heavy kadai. Turn the heat down, stir in 1 tbsp lemon juice and keep at a gentle simmer: the milk will separate into fine grains; do not drain the whey.
5 minStep 3: Add the wheat paste and cook on medium, stirring and scraping often, for 35–40 minutes until most of the liquid has gone and the mixture is thick and grainy.
40 minStep 4: Meanwhile heat 2 tbsp of the 5 ½ oz ghee in a small pan and fry ⅔ oz edible gum (gond) until puffed and white; crush lightly.
3 minStep 5: Add 7 oz sugar to the kadai. It will loosen; keep stirring for 10 minutes until it thickens again.
10 minStep 6: Add the rest of the 5 ½ oz ghee a few spoons at a time, stirring after each, then the crushed gum. Cook for 15–20 minutes, scraping constantly, until the mass turns golden-brown, rolls around the pan as one lump and ghee seeps out at the edges.
20 minStep 7: Stir in ½ tsp grated nutmeg and ½ tsp ground cardamom. Cool for 10 minutes, then shape into 16 flat rounds with greased palms.
15 minStep 8: Press ⅞ oz pistachios and ½ oz almonds on top of each. Cool completely for 1 hour. Store airtight in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
60 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 235 kcal
- Protein
- 5 g
- Carbs
- 26 g
- Fat
- 13 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does halvasan take?
- About 95 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 80 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 16 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of full-fat milk?
- Oat, soy or almond milk, same amount (use unsweetened for savoury dishes).
- What can I use instead of lemon juice?
- Lime juice, same amount.
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