Badam Halwa Recipe

     I remember tasting badam halwa only in marriages...That lovely butter paper wrap containing a single serving of halwa placed on banana leaf in the marriages is a bliss !!!  
     We have not tried badam halwa at home before. My MIL made this delicious sweet and sent it through my mom to USA. Thats when I tasted badam halwa at home. It was definitely yummier than the versions I had tasted before. Ever since the last spoon of halwa was over, I was craving for it so badly. Mom tried it on a small scale, getting the recipe from MIL. Even then I had an unquenchable greedy craving for some more of it. 
     My MIL and FIL are here with us this summer. I wanted to taste this yummy sweet again and was very eager to see how to make it. So I had asked her to make it sometime. Everyone went for shopping to Costco on a weekend and bought a big bag of Kirkland Almonds :P Right on the same day, she made this halwa for us and also for some of our friends. It took a lot of self restraint to not eat the Halwa while taking the pictures !!!! and waiting for the halwa to cool down to room temperature seemed like I had been waiting for ages :D

Prep Time: 30 mins || Cook Time: 25 mins || Yields: nearly 1.2 - 1.5 kg || Category: Sweet/Dessert 

Ingredients:
1. Almonds - 500 gm
2. Sugar - equal quantity as that of the ground almonds
3. Ghee - 500 gm
4. Saffron - few strands

Method:
1. To blanch the almonds,boil water and immerse the almonds in it. Let it sit in the boiling water for 2-3 mins. Switch off the flame and drain the water. Keep the badams immersed in cold water (tap water) for a min or two and then peel its skin. 

2. Grind the peeled almonds in mixi with some water to a crumbled state. Then transfer the semi-ground almonds to grinder and grind it to a very smooth paste adding some water as and when needed.

3. Take the badam paste in a heavy bottomed vessel. Measure sugar equal to the amount of ground badam paste and add the entire sugar, saffron to it and stir well. Switch on the flame and keep it in medium. The sugar will start to dissolve slowly. Keep stirring for 5-8 mins. 

4. Pour 1/4 amount of ghee initially. Cook for 10-12 mins with constant stirring and intermediately adding 1/2 the amount of ghee. The mixture will slowly attain yellow colour from saffron and ghee. Bubbles start to appear and it will splutter. Cook for 2-3 mins and then switch off the stove and pour the 1/4 portion of the ghee and mix well. If required, switch on the stove and cook for 2 mins with constant stirring.

Suggestions:

• Blanching the almonds helps to peel off the skins easily, without soaking it for 3-4 hours.
• If a more yellowish colour is required, a pinch of yellow food colour can be added. I do not prefer adding artificial food colour. So, I have left it as such with the natural colour given by saffron. 
• Adding milk will reduce the shelf life of the halwa. Hence, I have not added it. 
• Cardamom powder, condensed milk etc can be added if desired. As I wanted the original taste of badam halwa, I skipped these two ingredients. 
• Keep refrigerated if longer shelf life is needed.

Stays good for 4-5 days in room temperature and for 10-15 days when refrigerated.

Varan Recipe / Maharashtrian Varan / Dal Tadka

      With my little blog entering its second year of culinary journey, I am happy to post a simple dal recipe that is famous in Maharashtrian cuisine prepared specially during Ganesh Chaturthi.

     It was during last year's Ganesh Chathurthi, that I got to taste this simple yet delicious recipe at our friend Rachana's place.. Unlike in India, religious festivals here, in USA are not so spiritfully celebrated as an outstandingly special day. May be because we dont get holidays for our festivals :P and we do not get the festival specific veggies/fruits/decors, every festival lacks that spark and the festive feel is less felt than in India.

A bunch of enthusiastic people here celebrate it on the following weekend inviting friends and families, if a festival falls on a week day. Every occasion is just like a get together with usual hi-bye-hellos and a group lunch/dinner may be with some games if time permits. 

     For Ganesh Chathurthi, I had got invites from two friends for get together. One, on a Saturday for a potluck for which I had prepared sweet kozhukattais and mini boondhi  laddus and the other one on Sunday at Rachana's house for the pooja in the afternoon :)

     It was a bright sunny day, perfect to hang out. Initially, I just thought that it would be a simple meet-up with friends and a luncheon. But they had beautifully adorned a Ganesha idol with garlands, lights and made the ambience so divine with lamps, incense sticks, roses and various neivedhyams. One of the things I liked was, in their custom, everyone is given a chance to show the aarthi to god, irrespective of the age, which I wish we too followed. After the pooja, we had a wonderful lunch with various items from a typical maharashtrian cuisine - Varan, rice, Tindora with cashews :P, mango pachadi, sweets, coconut podi, etc.

Now over to the recipe, with some modifications made to appease my taste buds !! 

Prep Time: 5 mins || Cook Time: 20 mins for dal + 15 mins || Serves: 3 || Category: Rice Accompaniment

Ingredients:

1. Tomato - 1 

2. Green chili - 2

3. Cumin seeds - 2 tsp

4. Curry leaves

5. Ginger - 1 tbsp 

6. Mustard seeds - 2 tsp

7. Hing - 2 tsp

8. Turmeric powder - 1 tsp

9. Salt - as required

10. Oil - 2 tbsp

11. Toor dal - 100 to 125 gms pressure cooked

12. Coriander leaves

Method:

1. Heat oil in a pan and splutter mustard seeds, cumin seeds and add in the slit green chili, finely chopped ginger, hing and curry leaves. Add the chopped tomatoes, turmeric powder and mix well. Saute for 2 mins and then keep covered. Let the tomatoes get cooked till mushy.

2. After the tomatoes have got cooked, add some water and bring it to boil. 

3. Mash the cooked toor dal well. 

4. Add the mashed toor dal to the boiling tomato mixture and stir. Add salt and mix well. Adjust the consistency by adding water accordingly. Bring it to boil and then switch off the flame. 

Suggestions:

• Give a standing time of 15-20 mins after switching off the pressure cooker (for toor dal). Mash the toor dal soon after the cooker is opened after the standing time. It takes less effort to mash the dal when it is hot than doing it later.

Yummy dal tadka / Varan can be had with plain rice or with roti/phulka etc.