A Gourmet Meal: ATTE KA HALWA

ATTE KA HALWA is a family favorite in my house and its named as 'Dadi Halwa'. My grandmother-in-law used to make this halwa for my husband when he was a kid and now she cooks this for her great grand daughter every time we visit, hence the name 'Dadi Halwa'. Both my daughter and my husband favor this dessert.

The key to making a good halwa is in the frying. We need to bhuno the ghee and atta on low medium heat until it turns dark brown in color and releases the aroma of cooked flour. This is my go to dish when my daughter wont eat anything else. Its quick, easy to make and needs absolutely no prep work. It can be made with ingredients readily available at home and also be refrigerated and stored for future use. It is also a great way to sneak calories into your kids diet too.

This is the way I make it:

INGREDIENTS:

Whole Wheat Flour - 1 cup

Ghee - 1 cup

Sugar - 1 cup

Water - 2 cups

Cardamom Powder - 1/4 tsp

PROCEDURE:

1. Heat sugar and water in a thick bottomed pan on medium heat. Stir occasionally.

2. Heat ghee on medium heat in a thick bottomed wide wok.

3. While the ghee in heating, stir and check the water and sugar syrup.

4. Once the ghee is warm, add the flour and turn the heat to medium low.

5. Keep stirring continuously. After about 8-10 minutes of continuous stirring, the flour will turn light and frothy.

6. Once the sugar and water mixture comes to a boil, turn off the heat.

7. Now the flour mixture has been thoroughly fried in ghee. It has turned dark brown and is extremely light and aromatic.

8. We will slowly start adding water, a little at a time. Be extremely careful when adding water as it will splurt. This is another reason why we should use a large vessel when making this. Carefully keep mixing each time after adding water.