Wheat halwa | Godhumai Halwa | Tirunelveli Halwa| Indian cooking challenge

Indian cooking challenge for July is really interesting for me. I can say it is a real challenge for me, because I am not very good in making sweets like halwa. When I saw this I was like yes come on u can do it.!!! Then there was many option for recipe given to us, I selected lataji’s recipe ‘TIRUNELVELI HALWA’ followed her recipe carefully. As she said I used the pukka cup measurement and it truned out to be yummy and wonderful. I remembered my days having this halwa in Coutrallam which is near tirunelveli. Thanks lataji for your recipe which was clean and clear. It was wonderful making this halwa "I can proudly say that i made halwa my self "!!!!  :)

            I used a cup which measures 125ml I used 1 cup of that for measuring wheat. And Same as she said I used three heaped measuring of the same cup  for sugar and  1 ½  cup of ghee, from the same cup.

Ingredients

Whole wheat 100 grams

Sugar 450 grams

Ghee 225 grams

For More taste

Blanched almonds

Roasted Cashews

Cardamom powder according to taste

Saffron strands (put in milk for half an hour)

Method

EXTRACTING WHEAT MILK:

Soak the whole wheat over night after washing. By morning it will look very clumsy with some elastic thread like formation over the wheat.

Grind adding water in a mixer /mixie. Strain the milk using a strainer . Return the husk to the blender and grind again by adding some more water. Strain and repeat the process till the husk loses  all its gluttonous.

                  Let this milk-like liquid stand for few hours. A thick precipitate will deposit on the lower part and the scum will float over the excess water that was added to aid grinding. After 2 to 3 hours hours, carefully remove the scum out, filter the excess water and leave the thick milk alone.  To the thick milk add three cups of water and mix well. This will be clean and white as milk, but thicker in consistency.

SUGAR SYRUP PREPARATION:

Place sugar with some water in a heavy bottomed pan on fire. Boil this down to thick syrup that forms a very strong thread while pressed and pulled apart between the thumb and forefinger. It will surely take some time to reach this strong thread , we need lot of patience for making this halwa. Keep the nuts, cardamom and saffron ready near you . Now add the blanched almonds and the wheat milk. Stir constantly. The wheat will cook to a very transparent mass with the sugar syrup.

When the mass is thick enough we can feel pressure while stirring continuously now time to add the saffron, cardamom powder and cashews. Keep the ghee cup near you and now add the ghee little by little. The ghee will first float and then mix wonderfully with the Wheat  mass.

Then everything will become thicker and mixing gets really harder. We can see the lovely colour gloss on the mass. Add the rest of the ghee and mix well. Switch the fire off. Leave the Halwa on the stove for some time. Transfer it to a bowl when cool and enjoy. you can fell that it melts while u have it.