Badam halwa

I decided to have a sweet start to the blog and decided on the queen of all sweets - Badam Halwa. This is my mom's signature dish .She is here with me, it only made sense to, ask her to do it. It is a family favorite and we like both the badam halwa and the badam cake she makes. This uses lot of ghee and sugar and is definitely not a weight watcher's delight but an indulgence like this once in a while is good for the soul.

Ingredients

Badam - 2 cups
Sugar - 4  cups
Cardomom
Saffron(optional)
milk - 1.5 cups (enough to grind the badam to a paste)
ghee - 2 cups (did I not say it was not a weight watcher's delight)

Method

*Soak badam in water. Amma usually soaks it over night
*Remove the skin and grind it in to a paste using milk. You can even add part milk and part water. But the milk just adds to the richness.
*Take a heavy bottom vessel and add about half cup of ghee and then add the badam paste. It is very important that you take a heavy bottom vessel. If not, the bottom will get burnt and the halwa will have a burnt taste. I know how it tastes, because it has happened once and you don't want all that effort to go waste.
*Keep stirring and stirring. This is one dish that needs constant attention while cooking. You need to constantly keep stirring (good workout for your arms!)
*The mixture will start to thicken and come together.
* Add a cup of ghee and the sugar and continue to stir. Keep stirring till the ghee starts to separate from the halwa.
*Add the remaining ghee, cardomom, saffron and stir.
* I stay away from food colors as far as possible. A tinge of yellow will make it look like how they sell in shops.
*Grease a plate with ghee and pour the mixture on to it. The mixture will be extremely hot so use caution. It is definitely not something you can taste immediately (you don't want to burn your tongue right?).
* Allow the mixture to cool. Enjoy

Note: Do not keep the flame on high throughout the process. Even if you stir constantly, a high flame would make it burn easily.

If the mixture hardens over time, microwave for a few seconds to loosen it up.

By the time you make the dish, the whole area would be smelling of ghee and cardomom. When amma was making it, even my little one said "I can smell something sweet". Sweet it is!

Thanks to my sister who was visiting us. The minute she said she had lost 2 kg, I think amma started soaking almonds. Just kidding:)) That is what moms are for - to pamper. And that is why this dish is the features as my first post and that is also the reason I am sending this to My mother's kitchen - Indian mithai mela