Made with simple ingredients of gram flour, ghee, sugar, this rich and aromatic cardamom infused Besan halwa is a quick dessert that can be made ready within minutes.
We Indians always love our desserts and halwa is very popular one. Making halwa requires very few ingredients and they are usually available at home.
Sooji (Semolina) halwa is the most popular choice and is a staple one in most Indian households. Other versions of halwa are - Coconut Pumpkin halwa, Moong dal halwa, Carrot halwa, and Aata Halwa.
Recently I have been leaning a lot into a variety of gram flour recipes. It is extremely nutritious, easily available, and so versatile. While you can use it in savory recipes like khandvi and kadhi, it is also great to make sweets such as besan ladoo, magas, besan barfi, and this halwa.
Like every other halwa recipe, this Besan Halwa requires only a few ingredients like gram flour, sugar, milk, and ghee. Also, this halwa is very good for sore throats. So if you have a cold and sore throat, then this halwa is your best medicine.
You can make this halwa in a thinner consistency when you have a sore throat. I usually add 3x or more water when I am making this halwa for sore throat.
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What is Besan Halwa?
This Besan Halwa can also be called gram flour pudding (or chickpea flour pudding).
The main ingredients are like I said before are gram flour, sugar, milk, and ghee. Adding a bit of cardamom and saffron to the halwa gives it a great aroma and you can also add some nuts, but they are optional.
This halwa can be made with regular besan flour or the coarse ladoo besan flour. The regular besan gives it a smooth texture, while the ladoo besan flour gives the grainy (danedar in hindi) texture similar to Sooji Halwa. Either way it turns out great and is delicious.
It tastes a bit like besan ladoo at the first bite, and then it will melt in your mouth with the richness of ghee and sugar.
Why you will love this Besan Halwa?
- Made with basic ingredients you might have in your pantry.
- Quick and rasy to make
- You will love the nutty melt-in-the-mouth taste of this halwa.
- Great for sore throat, and for little kids.
Ingredients
Besan (Gram Flour): To make this besan halwa, you can use either regular besan flour or ladoo besan flour. The later ladoo besan is coarsely ground, which helps to make the dish have a grainy texture. My family did love the halwa made either way, but the one made with ladoo besan had a little edge over the regular besan flour.
If you don't have ladoo besan (can also use Magaz flour) or can't find it in the store, you can also follow the "Dhrabo" technique mentioned in my Magas recipe to get a grainy texture with the regular besan flour. This does add some steps and time to the recipe, but will be well worth it.
Water (or Milk): I used water to make this halwa. You can also substitute with milk or use a combination of half cup milk and 1 cup water. But the total quantity of either of them should be the same.
Sugar: I used regular granulated sugar in this halwa. You can also use the same amount of crushed jaggery. Using jaggery gives this halwa a darker brown color, which looks amazing too.
Ghee: Do not skimp on ghee when making halwa. Use good quality store bought ghee or use homemade ghee.
How to make?
- Take a small pot (preferably with a handle) and add water, sugar, cardamom and saffron. Heat it on a medium-high heat until the sugar melts. Turn off the flame and keep it aside.
- Heat a pan on medium flame and add ghee. Once the ghee has melted, add the besan flour.
- Turn the flame to medium-low and roast the besan while stirring continuously until it starts turning golden brown. It will take about 12-15 minutes or more to fully roast the besan and your kitchen will be filled with a delicious nutty aroma.
- Next add a tablespoon of milk to the besan while roasting it as also helps to give a grainy texture. When you add milk, the mixture will fluff up. Add 1 tablespoon at a time and keep stirring.
- Now add the water and sugar mixture little by little while stirring continuously. Make sure to do it very slowly as there will be some splatter when you pour the mixture into the hot pan. But as the water gradually mixes with the besan the splatter will stop.
- Soon the halwa will start to boil and thicken, but don't stop the stirring.
- When it is just thickened, add a tablespoon of ghee for the extra richness.
- Remove from flame when the halwa comes out from the sides of the pan.
- Garnish with nuts of your choice and serve immediately.
I love to garnish with pistachios for their wonderful green color.
Look a the delicious dreamy halwa. It is so good!
It is best to serve halwa warm.
Serve in bowls, and garnish with some more nuts.
Meeta's Pro-Tips
Follow my pro-tips to make your besan halwa delicious and mouthwatering.
- Use non-stick or heavy bottom pan to make the halwa
- This halwa gives out a wonderful nutty taste and the right way to get it is by roasting it correctly on low heat. Too much roasting will give a burnt taste and too little roasting will make the dish raw. So, it is best to roast it till the besan flour gives out a nutty aroma.
- Don't skimp on ghee while making halwa (really, any halwa).
- Patience is the key to make this halwa.
- You can either use water or milk or combination of both to prepare this besan halwa. Using milk will give a lighter color to this halwa, but the taste will be just as good.
- You can add nuts, saffron or cardamom to this recipe or skip them to your preference.
- Store the excess halwa in the refrigerator. Serve it by reheating it in a pan or in the microwave (30 seconds) until the ghee melts and the halwa softens.
Hope you enjoy this delicious, easy halwa recipe. Don't forget to share a picture with hashtag #pipingpotcurry if you do make it!
More easy Indian dessert recipes:
Besan Halwa
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup Gram flour (Besan) can use fine or coarse ladoo besan, 100 grams
- ½ cup Ghee divided, 100 grams
- 3 tablespoon Milk warm
- 1 ½ cup Water
- ½ cup Granulated White Sugar 100 grams, adjust to taste
- ¼ teaspoon Cardamom powder (Elaichi)
- Saffron (Kesar) few strands, optional
- 2-3 tablespoon Mixed nuts slivered, divided (cashews, almonds, pistachios, raisins)
Instructions
- Take a small pot (preferably with a handle) and add water, sugar, cardamom and saffron. Heat it on a medium-high heat until the sugar melts. Turn off the flame and keep it aside.
- Heat a pan on medium flame and add ghee. Once the ghee has melted, add the besan flour.
- Turn the flame to medium-low and roast the besan while stirring continuously until it starts turning golden brown. It will take about 12-15 minutes or more to fully roast the besan and your kitchen will be filled with a delicious nutty aroma.
- Add the milk 1 tablespoon at a time while stirring continuously. The mixture will fluff up when you add the milk. This steps helps to give the halwa a little grainy texture.
- Pour in water and sugar mixture little by little while stirring continuously. Be careful as there will be some splatter when you initially start pouring, but that will stop once the syrup mixes with the besan.
- The halwa will start to boil and thicken. Continue stirring.
- When it is just thickened, stir in a tablespoon of ghee for the extra richness.
- The halwa is ready when it starts to leave the sides of the pan. Remove from flame. Garnish with nuts. Serve immediately.
Video
Notes
Note: Nutrition values are my best estimates. If you rely on them for your diet, use your preferred nutrition calculator.
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