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Kozhikode halwa
Coconut oil halwa with cashews
കോഴിക്കോടൻ ഹൽവ: glossy, chewy halwa of flour, sugar and coconut oil with cardamom and cashews
Walk down SM Street, 'Mittai Theruvu', in Kozhikode and you pass shop after shop stacked with jewel-coloured slabs of halwa, which Malabar families have bought for Eid, weddings and visits since the Arab trading days. The classic is made from wheat-flour milk (or plain flour) cooked for a long time with sugar and coconut oil or ghee until glossy, chewy and translucent, studded with cashews. The common mistake is rushing the cooking: the halwa must be stirred until it stops sticking, turns transparent and the fat seeps out at the edges, or it sets soft and cloudy. Chef's tip: add the oil a spoonful at a time only after the mixture thickens, so it is absorbed rather than floating.
- Total time
- 90 min
- Difficulty
- hard
- Serves
- 12
Ingredients
For the halwa
- 4 oz plain flour (maida)
- 3 cups water
- 10 ½ oz sugar
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- ⅛ tsp food colour (red, green or yellow) (optional)
- ½ cup coconut oil or gheewarmed
- ½ tsp ground cardamom
- 1 ¾ oz cashew halves
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Whisk 4 oz plain flour (maida) with 300 ml of the 3 cups water until completely smooth, then whisk in the rest of the water.
3 minStep 2: Pour into a heavy non-stick pan with 10 ½ oz sugar and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, for 10 minutes until it thickens like custard.
10 minStep 3: Add 1 tsp lemon juice and ⅛ tsp food colour (red, green or yellow) and keep stirring. As it turns thick and glossy, add the ½ cup coconut oil or ghee a tablespoon at a time, letting each spoonful be absorbed before the next.
30 minStep 4: Cook 20–25 minutes more over medium-low heat, stirring, until the halwa turns translucent, gathers into a mass that no longer sticks to the pan, and oil starts seeping out at the edges.
25 minStep 5: Stir in ½ tsp ground cardamom and 1 ¾ oz cashew halves and pour into a greased tray, smoothing to 2 cm thick. Cool at least 4 hours before cutting. Keeps 2 weeks airtight.
5 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 260 kcal
- Protein
- 2 g
- Carbs
- 30 g
- Fat
- 15 g
- Fibre
- 0 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does kozhikode halwa take?
- About 90 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 70 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 12 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 plain flour (maida)?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
- What can I use instead of sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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