HALVAS - NUT

Almond Halwa 8 ozs almonds 8 ozs ghee 2 silver leaves 4 ozs semolina 1/2 tspn chopped pistachios 3 cups milk 1 cup sugar 6 green cardamoms

Soak the almonds overnight, peel and grind coarsely. Boil the milk with sugar un til it is dissolved and set aside. Heat the ghee, fry semolina for two minutes a nd add coarsely ground almonds and fry until light brown. Add the milk, crushed cardamoms and stir until thick and leaves its ghee. Remove from the fire, put in a serving dish and decorate with silver leaves and chopped pistachios. Offer ho t.

Badam Halwa 2 cups Almond paste 2 cups Sugar 1 cup Ghee A pinch Saffron strands - a pinch Milk as required for the paste 1/2 tsp Green Cardamom powder

Soak almonds in the water 2 hours and blanch them. Add saffron and blend to a sm ooth paste adding as little milk as possible. Put almond paste and sugar in a th ick bottomed pan, stir frequently and cook till the mixture thickens and leaves the sides of the pan. Add powdered cardamom and remove from fire. Now add the gh ee little by little till all the ghee is absorbed. Cool to room temperature and serve.

Badam Ka Halwa 4-1/2 cups Milk cup Almonds 1 Tbsp Ghee] 1-1/4 cup grated Khoya (or fine ricotta) 1 cup Sugar Tsp Cardamom Powder 2 Tbsp Shredded Almonds

For Garnish: Rose Petals Silver Varak Shredded Almonds

Soak the almonds in water, remove the skins, and make a paste with a little wate r. Saute almond paste in ghee and keep aside. Heat ghee in a kadhai and when it starts to thicken a bit add almond paste to it and mix well. Add khoya to it and stir well and see that it doesn t stick to the bottom of the kadhai. When the mix ture becomes a bit thick add sugar to it and mix well. Add shredded almonds, car damom powder and mix well. Check the sweetness and then garnish well with rose p etals, almonds and also sprinkle cardamom powder on it. Serve hot or cold.

Caramel Walnut Halava 2 cups Farina 3 cups Sugar 1 cup Butter 1cup Walnuts 3 cups Hot Water

In a saucepan, melt a tablespoon of butter and add the sugar. At low heat let th e sugar melt and turn into caramel, turning constantly to prevent burning. When the sugar is all caramelled add the hot water. At first the sugar will crystaliz e, but slowly will melt and you will have caramel flavored water. In a saucepan melt the rest of the butter, add the farina. Toast the farina until golden brown , add the walnuts (quartered), add the hot caramel water. Let cook until all the water is absorbed.. Quickly stir the halava to make it smooth. Transfer the hal ava onto a slightly greased tray. Let it set then cut in cubes.

Royal Rava Basic Rava (any recipe you choose) edible silver or gold foil 1/3 cup unblanched almonds pistachios, chopped 1/2 tsp. cardamom seeds, crushed nutmeg, a few grinds splash of rosewater scatter of rose petals 1/2 to 3/4 cup of heavy cream fruit

Starting with a basic Rava, wait until the mixture cools slightly and place in a food processor with almonds. Process until the mixture smooths out and the almo

nds are finely chopped. Add cardamom seeds crushed in a mortar and a splash of r ose water. Whip heavy cream to soft peaks and fold into lukewarm or room-tempera ture Rava. Pour into a serving bowl (silver if you like) and refrigerate until r eady to offer. Garnish with foil, chopped pistachios, a light grating of nutmeg, and at the very last moment a scatter of dewy rose petals. You can also garnish by surrounding with strawberries, raspberries, sliced mangoes or blood oranges.

Sohan Halwa Sugar 3-3/4 cups Water 4 cups Cornflour 1 cup Almonds 1 cup Pistachios 1/2 cup Green cardamoms 2 tbsps. Milk 1/2 cup Red or yellow food colouring Ghee 8 tbsps.

Dissolve the sugar in half the water and let it boil for 5 minutes. Add milk and leave to boil for another 5 minutes. Remove from heat and strain through a musl in cloth. Dissolve cornflour in the remaining water and add to the syrup. Cook o n medium heat and when it starts turning into lumps, add the colouring mixed wit h a little lemon juice. Stir continously, adding a little ghee every time the mi xture starts sticking to the bottom of the pan. When the mixture leaves the side s of the pan and forms one whole lump, add the crushed cardamoms and finely-slic ed almonds and pistachios, keeping aside a few nuts for garnishing. Put the halw a on a greased thali and flatten it out, then decorate it with the remaining alm onds and pistachios. When cooled, cut into desired shapes and sizes, and offer. This halwa will keep for months if packed in air-tight tins.

Tamal Badham Halwa Almonds - 20 or 25 Sugar - 1-1/2 cups Ghee - 1/4 cup Food Coloring, a bit

Soak the almonds in boiling water for at least 2 hours. Remove the outer skin an d make into a fine paste adding as little water as possible. Heat up a pan and a dd the paste, sugar, coloring agent and 1/2 of the ghee and stir continuously to mix well. Reduce the heat to low and let it remain for some more time. Once the sweet no longer sticks to the sides, add the remaining ghee and mix evenly. Tra nsfer to another greased vessel.