Akshayapatram

The quickest thing to make when you get a craving for sweet… I normally have it as halwa. It’s only in Kerala i saw people setting it and cutting diamond pieces of it to make it look like a barfi. Which I think is a good way to serve when you have guests at home. Besides the recipe also differs. I used to add sugar to the water while boiling unlike in this recipe. Here’s the recipe I picked up from Mini Ammai (Q’s aunt)….

Roasted Semolina (Rava/Suji) – 1 cup
Sugar – 2 cups
Water – 2 cups
Saffron – few threads
Ghee – 2 – 3 Tbsp
Cardomom powder – 1-2 tsp
Cashew – 3 Tbsp
Raisins – 2 tsp

1. Fry cashew in 1 tsp of ghee and keep aside
2. Add semolina to the wok
3. Parallely boil water with saffron
4. Add boiled water to semolina. Cover the vessel and cook it on low flame
5. Open the lid when the whole of water is absorbed and keep stirring
6. Add cardamom powder, cashew, raisins and sugar and keep stirring
7. Add ghee in small amounts in between stirring.
8. It’s almost done if it starts leaving sides of the wok
9. Grease mould with ghee and transfer above into it
10. Apply little ghee on your fingers and pat the halwa into the mould uniformly and keep aside for cooling

When at room temperature cut diamond shapes out of it. Place additional fried cashews on top of each diamond cuts for garnishing and serve

Till tomorrow….happy cooking!

that’s Mini aunt for you…:)