The festival of Navratri begins from tomorrow and my mother-in-law suggested that I share her recipe for singhara halwa for the occasion. This in fact is her mother’s recipe and she always spoke very high about it. So, recipe notes were taken, and I gave it a shot and I am ready to share the recipe, although I did make a few tweaks to it vis-à-vis the amount of water and ghee. I increased the amount of water and reduced the amount of ghee. Also, I swapped the sugar with jaggery since we try and avoid refined sugar, wherever possible, in our desserts. She insisted that the flour be roasted dry first and then again with ghee, similar to how I roast the flour for my Besan Ladoo (Chickpea Flour Laddu) This method makes a difference to the taste of halwa and one also needs less ghee this way. Adding nuts is optional but recommended. The dos and don’ts to making this halwa are similar to that of making the Atta Halwa (Wholemeal Pudding). One needs to ensure that the flour is well roasted, else it will be pasty and taste really bad. But over roasting will result in a somewhat burnt taste. So I suggest you read the instructions carefully for desirable results and roast on low heat.
¼ C plus 1½ tbsp Ghee (Coconut oil for vegans)
1 C Singhada Atta
1 C scrapped, Date Palm Jaggery (This amount is suitable for our taste. Add more if required)
½ tsp Cardamom Powder
2 C Hot Water
2 – 3 tbsp Assorted Nuts and Raisins
Heat a kadahi or a heavy bottom sauce pan. Decrease the heat to minimum and add the singhara atta. Roast on low heat for four to five minutes, stirring continuously. (the flour should attain light golden brown color)
Add ghee and keep roasting till there is no more raw smell, stirring continuously. It would take approximately three to four minutes for this step.
Add hot water along with cardamom powder and keep stirring vigorously yet carefully as the contents might splutter around.
Add the scrapped jaggery and cook further till the halwa comes together in as a mass and leaves oil around edges.
Add and stir in half the nuts and serve hot or warm garnished with the remaining nuts. Enjoy!
Serves – 8 to 10
Note – Roasting is the key here. Over roasting will lead to somewhat bitter tasting halwa. Also, ensure you roast it on lowest heat and stirring it continuously else the flour will burn.
Note – Use two cups of water for a crumbly texture of halwa and two & a half cups of water if you like the consistency loose and smooth.
Note – Once I heat the water, I add cardamom powder to it. Also, feel free to add some milk or water while reheating the halwa.
Note – The colour of the halwa that you make might vary, in comparison to mine, since it is dependent on the colour of the jaggery being used.
Thank you for your visit and see you soon again with another exciting recipe!
These are so adorable. Wish I could taste one with my tea now :-))
Thank you so much Angie. I wish we could enjoy it together over tea 🙂
I have never had chestnut flour halwa. I wonder how it tastes when it looks so deliciously tempting.
It was also a first for me when she shared the recipe. I liked it for it’s nutty taste.
These little puddings look delightful and your photos are always so beautiful.
Thank you so much Susan 🙂
What a wonderful “pudding”. I’m totally at a loss as to what water chestnuts tastes like so I am at a loss as to the flavor of these flour puddings. However, anything that uses cardamom, nuts and raisins has got to be good!
The kinds of halwa made in Indian is crazy! I will soon posting another halwa recipe on the blog for Diwali 😀
Had to look up what “Jaggery” was but now I know and it seems pretty easy to get. I think these look absolutely delicious!
Jaggery is very popular in Indian subcontinent and south east Asian countries. Since a couple of years, i have switched to using it instead of sugar.
What an interesting recipe of pudding using water chestnut…I would love to try…
Have a great week!
Thanks Juliana. It turned out really nice 🙂
What a beautiful presentation! I would love to try this dessert, it looks delicious!
Thank you Iryna 🙂
This looks so good with the chopped nuts! Roasting the flour must give it great flavor.
Absolutely Lisa. Roasting is everything. It gives a nice toasty nutty flavor to the dish.
Taruna, this halwa looks so festive and delicious! The texture looks wonderful and you’ve decorated it so beautifully. What a treasure to have your mother-in-law’s recipe!
Thank you so much Kelly. It is indeed much treasured 🙂
Nifty recipe! I haven’t had this, but it sounds delish. And look SO interesting. Thanks!
Thanks John. It was something new for me too 🙂
Your halwa looks divine taruna. Wish could grab straight from the pic.
This halwa looks amazing. Gotta try it soon.