Video guide for making Kerala's special karutta halwa or black halwa
Preparation Time: 5 hours
Cooking time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Serves: 30
Ingredients
300 gms wheat flour
750 gms jaggery (black jaggery)
700 ml coconut milk
2 tbsp of white flour(all-purpose flour)
¼ cup of sago (soaked in water for 3 hours)
50 gms of cashew (chopped)
¼ tsp of vanilla essence
400 ml water (to soak the dough)
½ tsp of cardamom powder
150 gms ghee or clarified butter
Method
Step: 1
Add wheat flour to a bowl. Also, add water and knead the flour well to make a sticky dough.
Step: 2
Then add water into the bowl without disturbing the dough ball till the dough is fully immersed in it. Cover and keep it for an hour.
Step: 3
An hour later, squeeze the dough, repeatedly, with your hands in the same water to make the wheat milk.
Step: 4
Strain the wheat milk using a strainer at least twice to remove the residue. Cover and set the wheat milk aside for at least 3 to 4 hours to settle down, then decant the clear liquid from the top.
Step: 5
Mix two tablespoons of white flour with 100ml of coconut milk and add it to the wheat milk.
Step: 6
Grind the soaked sago with 100 ml of coconut milk in a blender, then add it to wheat milk. Also, add 500 ml of thick coconut milk to the wheat milk. Mix well.
Step: 7
Heat a deep pan and pour the filtered jaggery syrup. Then add the wheat-coconut milk mixture to it and stir well.
Step: 8
Continue stirring over a high flame until the mixture starts thickening. Then lower the flame to medium and continue stirring.
Step: 9
When the mix becomes thick, add clarified butter in small quantities.
Step: 10
After about 45 minutes of stirring, add ½ teaspoon of cardamom powder and ¼ tsp of vanilla essence. Also, add the chopped cashew nuts.
Step: 11
Stir continuously on a medium flame for another 15 to 30 minutes until the mixture forms a soft ball, and the clarified butter separates.
Step: 12
Switch off the flame and pour the halwa into a greased tray. Flatten it with a spatula or a small bowl and allow it to cool.
Super delicious "karutta halwa" is ready.
Note
You can add a pinch of salt, but it is optional. The salt enhances the sweetness and gives a nice flavour to the dish.
Recipe courtesy: Sobha Varghese is a homemaker based in Mumbai, India. Sobha runs a popular YouTube blog called ‘Sobha's Kitchenette’ that focuses on authentic and traditional Kerala recipes.
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