Granny’s halwa ladled with love

The desire to travel and discover one’s roots, be it food, religious places, festivals and other cultural aspects, has brought in growing awareness of ancient traditions and customs. 

For me it has always been fascinating to travel and discover our ancient cuisine and the history behind it. We hail from Kumbakonam, a place close to Tanjore, famous for its temples, silks, crafts, filter coffee and great food. It has been ruled by dynasties like the Cholas, Pandavas, Vijayanagar kingdom, Vijayanagar Maratha kingdom, and local Tanjore rulers, before the British took over. 

After independence, the effect and influence of many rulers lingered on. The need for great cuisine, was an inherited legacy, it was everywhere from the smallest village to the larger towns of Tanjore district. It was the Chola king Raja Raja Cholan, who first introduced badam halwa in his kitchen, after tasting it somewhere when he was travelling. 

My grandfather was a district collector and he lived in his ancestral village Chandresekapuram near Kumbakonam. My grandmother’s cooking was so famous that people from Tanjore and Kumbakonam, would visit to savour her cooking. Even the English babus , who visited  Kumbakonam for inspection, would ask for her badam halwa . Thus, badam halwa became famous in these parts and was called Uramma’s (grandmother’s) badam halwa . So today I am sharing a very old badam halwa recipe made for special occasions in my village and a dessert that is fit for royalty.It is an authentic dish, little labourious, but worth every morsel. 

A rich halwa with saffron – a treat to the taste buds. It is made for very special occasions and as prasadam for special pujas. 

Ingredients

Almonds (badam): 1 cup 

Ghee (clarified butter): 3/4 cup 

Milk (Cow’s milk): 1 cup 

Saffron threads: 7-8 piece 

Granulated sugar: 1 cup 

Water: 3/4 cup

Soak almonds overnight or for at least six hours. Once taken out the skin should pop out of the almonds, when you squeeze it. 

Skin the almonds and grind in mixer/blender to make a thick paste with milk (adding little by little at a time).  

Heat sugar and water till it starts boiling. Add saffron threads mixed with a teaspoon of warm milk to the water, sugar syrup and boil for about 1-2 minutes. Add the almonds and milk paste.

Now add ghee little by little stirring well. Keep stirring till the mixture thickens little and there are wrinkle formations when you move your spatula (karandi ) in the mixture. This will take, about 20-25 minutes. 

Remove from heat and cool. The halwa will thicken more as it cools. You will not be able to make pieces. But the texture is smooth like a paste and hence it is called halwa. Before serving add chopped nuts like almond, pistachios and cashews.

Do not skip using saffron, for it gives the colour and flavour. Adding a lot of saffron will not only add a rich natural colour but a lovely aroma to the dessert. Use at least 7-8 threads. 

Use a bronze (vengalam) urli or vessel to cook, since firewood may not be possible. Cook on a slow fire only.

Use pure ghee, the flavour of the ghee makes a lot of difference. 

Use only badam, do not mix cashewnuts or groundnuts while making the paste.