Sringeri Halwa

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Now onto the halwa.For as long as I can remember, Sringeri halwa was made at home when there was an unexpected guest. It still is. All it needs is a couple of hours to set and its ready to eat; it’s as easy as making Jell-O. We’ve always known it as Sringeri Halwa. Sringeri is a small city in the state of Karnataka known for the historic temples.When I made this halwa a couple of weeks ago, I googled to see what I could find more on the ‘Sringeri Halwa’ and to my surprise I found out that no such halwa is made in Sringeri… :-D!! I had to ask mom what the story behind the halwa was….and more surprisingly, there was none. She didn’t know how the name came about either, but she did mention maybe someone from Sringeri was visitng and they made the halwa or something like that (So much for making this when there is a guest!) I told her I was going to put this on my blog and I didn’t want someone from Sringeri telling me “Hey, we don’t make this halwa”. So mom and I went back and forth trying to rechristen this halwa – sadly no luck there, even after suggestions like 8 ingredient halwa, cornflour halwa (yes it is!). I finally stuck to Sringeri Halwa, sounds better…made in Sringeri or not!

Cornstarch is probably the last ingredient you would expect an entire halwa to be made up of, trust me this one is sure to surprise you. The key is the proportions and it’s a breeze to make.

You will need:

1 cup Cornstarch (Corn flour)
1 ½ cups Sugar
2 cups Milk
2 cups Water
1 tsp Cardamom powder
2 tsp ghee plus more for greasing plates
1 tsp Cashew bits
1 tsp Raisins

Grease two 8 inch wide, shallow plates with ghee. Heat 2tsp ghee in a small pan, add the cashew bits and raisins, fry till cashews are light brown and raisins are bloated. Set aside.

In a heavy deep saucepan combine cornstarch, milk, water and sugar. Stir to combine and then place pan on medium heat. Stir constantly for 4-5 minutes till the mixture thickens to form a paste. When you push the mixture with your spatula, it should stand on one end, for a few seconds atleast. This is the consistency required for it to set up. Add more sugar if required. Stir in the cardamom powder. Remove from heat. Divide mixture between the two plates, and smooth out evenly. Let cool for 15 minutes and then refrigerate for 2 hours.

Cut into slices using a sharp knife. Top with cashews and raisins.

The texture is smooth and on the first bite it’s hard to taste at all, with the second bite you know its sweet and the cardamom hits in.