MAIDA HALWA

 This is an innovative idea, halwa using maida. For Regular halwa, corn flour is used. I tried all purpose flour.

Ingredients:-

All purpose flour / Maida- 1 cup

Sugar - 2 cups                                                  

Water - 4 cups

Lemon juice - 2 tsp nos.

Saffron Strings - 7 to 10

Ghee - 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp

Chopped Cashews - 10 nos.

Sliced Almonds - 10 nos.

Cardamom powder - 1/4 tsp

Nutmeg Powder -1/4 tsp

METHOD:-

Dissolve the maida flour in 1 and 1/2 cups of water.

Soak the saffron strings in 2 tsp of water and keep it aside.

Heat a thick bottomed Kadai, or non-stick pan with the remaining 2 and 1/2 cups of water and add sugar. It nearly takes 10 to 15 minutes to get 1 string consistency. Click here for sugar syrup stages. Add 2 tsp of lemon juice. The reason for adding lemon juice is, to avoid crystallization.

Once the one string consistency is obtained, reduce the flame to sim to medium flame.

Now, add the maida flour mixture, soaked saffron strings and stir continuously. The mixture gets mixed with the sugar syrup, now add 2 tbsp of ghee and continue stirring. The ghee gets absorbed by the mixture.

Again add 2 tbsp of ghee and continue stirring. Repeat the process till all the ghee is added.

{Note:- Ghee should be added in portions only}.

In a separate pan, heat 2 tbsp of ghee, and cashews, almonds. Mix this with Halwa. Add cardamom powder and nutmeg powder to it.

The correct stage to switch off the stove, is, dip a finger in water and tap the finger on halwa.

If there is no sticking of flour on finger means, halwa is cooked.
Transfer the contents to a greased tray. Once it arrives to room temperature, cut into desired shapes.

Note :-

1 cup = 200 gm. Use the same cup for measuring all the ingredients.

1 tsp =  1 teaspoon = 5 gm

1 tbsp = 1 tablespoon = 15 gms