Thursday, June 25, 2009

Badam Halwa ~ Indian Almond Fudge

Badam halwa is an Indian sweet that can best be described as a kind of fudge made with almonds. It is one of my fathers favorite sweets. Every time he visits an Indian restaurant he definitely looks for this item on the menu hoping that the restaurant offers this item. So when he visited me last time it was an absolute no brainer for me to decide to make this sweet for him. That first attempt at making this sweet tested my patience....why?? does it take that long to make this fudge ....not at all. This is a pretty quick and simple sweet to make but the first time I attempted it, I was not aware that soaking almonds in hot water helps to peel the skin easily, instead I soaked almonds in regular cold water and struggled to peel the skin which took a long while, hence the reference to my patience being tested.

Badam halwa ~ Indian Almond Fudge | Veg Inspirations

Anyway since then I have made this sweet many many times and it is now among my favorite sweets too. This simple sweet which requires a minimum of ingredients can be made easily and tastes absolutely divine. Its the perfect thing to celebrate any occasion/ milestone or just to make any ordinary day/ weekend just a
tad bit more special :)

  Badam Halwa ~ Indian almond fudge | Veg Inspirations  

Click here for a printable view of this recipe

Ingredients and method to make Badam Halwa
1 cup of whole raw almonds (badam)
3/4 cup of sugar (or a little less for a milder sweetness) (shakkar/ sakkarai)
a pinch of good quality saffron (kesar)
4 tsp of clarified butter (ghee/nei) or according to taste (optional)
milk as required  (approximately 1/4 -1/2 cup) (doodh/ paal)

 Heat sufficient water ( it should be enough to cover all the almonds) on high heat until it comes to near boiling temperature. Remove from heat and add raw whole almonds to the water. Let almonds soak in hot water for about 15 to 30 minutes.

Cool until touchable, then gently press the almond slightly or rub the skin slightly and the skin peels off entirely.Continue this process until all almonds are skinned.Grind almonds in a blender adding water or milk as required to make a smooth paste ( I used milk this time)Keep ground almond paste aside.

Warm 2 tsp of milk and add a pinch of saffron to it and let the saffron dissolve in that.
 The copyright of this content belongs to Veginspirations.com

Add almond paste, sugar and saffron + milk mixture together in a heavy bottomed pan and place on medium to medium high heat and stir frequently. Add clarified butter / ghee to this mixture at this point and mix well.Keep a lid handy as more moisture in the mixture will cause some splattering.If this happens just close with a lid, leave a very small gap for the moisture to evaporate and let the mixture evaporate a little.

Keep stirring until the mixture thickens and the mixture starts to leave the sides and comes together in the center. I remove mine when a little cooled mixture is able to be rolled, then I know it is done. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature. Store in an airtight container. The halwa can be kept without refrigeration for a period of about 3 - 4 days.

43 comments :

Priya Suresh said...

Tempting and delicious almond fudge usha, feel like having few spoons rite now!

kittymatti said...

oooooooooooh! slurp! Usha, u rock!

Laavanya said...

Who can refuse this tasty sweet - looks delicious.

Padma said...

Looks so yummy... feeling like having some :)

Manju said...

its soo tempting me!!

Mangala Bhat said...

wow! yummy looking halwa ..i am drooling right now

Trupti said...

badam halawa looks delicious Usha. Lovely click

Preety said...

just saw two halwa recipe in other blogs too..you guys are now tempting me..i am also making one tomorrow now..:)

Pavithra Elangovan said...

WOw wow looking so so good .. tempting

Gita Jaishankar said...

Lovely picture...even I used to make halwa like this...this is our Diwali special :)

Mahimaa's kitchen said...

looks absolutely divine!

Unknown said...

Love badam halwa. Looks super delicious.

chef and her kitchen said...

Looks delicious..Lovely color...

Shama Nagarajan said...

its tempting and inviting me to have a spoon at once...nice click

Varsha Vipins said...

wowow..gorgeousry ..am planning to try this Usha..:)

Madhuram said...

This is a very simple recipe Usha. Though I have tasted it in stores I have not made it.

Deepthi Shankar said...

I love almonds .. this is so tasty

Valarmathi Sanjeev said...

Looks tempting. Yummyyy...

suvi said...

absolutely indulgent...who can refuse this?!!

Subhie Arun said...

so tempting...i lov badam halwa....

Parita said...

Super delicious!

Unknown said...

looks yumm..i loved the picture a lot..nice colour..

Saritha said...

Yummy usha,it is my kids fav.Great click :)

Saritha said...

Yummy usha,it is my kids fav.Great click :)

Ashwini said...

Wow..so mouthwatering..Could have that bowl right now..Yummmm

Archy said...

Mouth watering pic Dear !! tempting me to try this soon :)!!

Kalaivani said...

pic makes me to drool...delicious fudge.

anudivya said...

Microwaving the almonds for a few minutes makes the skin pop out very easily too. I have found that to be an easier alternative to soaking for long hours or boiling water.
The fudge looks great. Nice color on it.

Anonymous said...

Usha,can imagine how the almonds would have tested your patience..yes blanching is an easy method.But am sure that doesnt reduced your spirit to make this delicious halwa.the picture says it all !!

Bindiya said...

such awesome and delicious pics!

Anu said...

Rombo super... yummy sweet!!!

Hari Chandana P said...

Looks soo yummy and delicious.. Lovely color :)

LifenSpice said...

Fudge looks perfect..Loved the color!

Myvegfare said...

ahaa !, soooo yummmy...., its mouth watering..., can u send it to me please..., love almonds.., looks so delicious looks absolutely perfect...

Sia said...

no wonder it's ur father's fav sweet! i have made it once and absolutely loved it. and looking at ur delightful pics, i am craving for some now :)

miss v said...

that picture doesn't match what my brain thinks fudge should look like... but it looks delicious all the same!

Nithya said...

Extremely tempting. the pic looks perfect. I am longing to have it right away..:)

Indian Khana said...

Wow that's looks so yummy

Preeti Singh said...

Wowwwwww looks so rich and tempting dear.....very nice and inviting.

ARUNA said...

so yummyyyy.....i just love it!!!!

Ash said...

The look is so different & yum.... I say this because, the texture gives a feel of semolina.... but this is badam halwa.... So do u still get this output????? like semolina halwa... When I normally prepare it, the texture turns out very smooth & soft, it does not show this coarse kinda texture.... hence was this doubt!!!!

Ash....
(http://asha-oceanichope.blogspot.com/)

bhuvi said...

mouthwatering...delicious....

bhuvi said...

vow....looks yummy....

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