Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Beetroot Halwa, Ramblings and a Prize

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It's been a very strange few weeks, I feel. I was sick for several days. Then, I seemed to be doing a bit better. We heard that one of my cousins will be getting married soon which was great news! They grow up so fast, don't they?

But, after that came the news that my Amayee (grandmother) was sick. I mean really sick. I think about the active, lively person she used to be and to see and hear of her state now just makes me so sad. The day we heard about this, none of us were in a very good mood at all. Thank goodness it turned out to be severe dehydration (which was caused by intense diarrhea) and she's doing a lot better now.

So, my mood has been pretty lousy lately due to all of these things. Add to that the killer heat we're having here and I think some of my brain cells have gotten fried in the process. I haven't felt like doing much of anything for a while...

I just got the news that I won the Open Sesame contest at Dining Hall. That totally made my day!! Funny enough, I learned about it when I read some of the comments on my blog. Thanks so much to each and every one of you sweet souls that voted for me. Thanks also to Dhivi and Siri for coming up with such a fun idea!! Let's see how round 2 goes, eh?

Given this happy news, it seems fitting to share some sweets with you all. Plus, yesterday was my SIL (husband's sister) and her husband's anniversary. Can't believe time has flown by! I sent them a care package with rava ladoos (for her) and beetroot halwa (for him) in honor of the occasion. This is the recipe for the halwa that I sent. Revathi, this is the same recipe for the halwa I sent you as part of arusuvai. :)

I'm not going to lie and tell you that the entire taste of the beetroot is covered up in this sweet. So, if you are someone that detests beetroot, you may or may not like this one. It has all the creamy decadence of a halwa recipe and is a really nice way to get the nutrients of beetroot into your system, though! As per my husband and me, it gets 2 thumbs up!

Beetroot Halwa:

Ingredients:

Beetroot, grated - 3 cups
Milk or half and half - 1 1/2 cups (I used 2% milk)
Ghee - 3 tbsp
Sugar - 3/4 cup
Cashew nuts - 10-15, broken
Raisins - 10-15
Cardamom - seeds of 3 pods crushed or 1/2 tsp cardamom powder
Salt - pinch

Method:

1. Heat 1 tbsp ghee in a pan over medium high heat. Add the grated beetroot and fry until the raw smell goes away.

2. Now, add the milk, salt and sugar. Lower the heat to medium and allow it to cook until all the liquid is absorbed. Stir occasionally. This may take 15-20 minutes, so be patient. As the mixture thickens, add 1 tbsp of ghee (or more if you wish).

3. Turn the heat off of the pan. In another pan, heat 1 tbsp ghee and fry the raisins and cashews until the cashews are golden and the raisins plump up. Add to the halwa with cardamom powder. Stir well and serve hot!

Enjoy the halwa and thanks for listening to my ramblings! :)

27 comments:

indosungod said...

Glad that ammayee is feeling better and nice to hear that you are getting out of feeling low. Hopefully the heat wave broke with the storm yesterday.

I actually love beetroot so this might be something to try for sure.

Finla said...

Lucky SIL and BIL to get the laddo and the halwa.
Glad to hear that your grandmother iis doing well.

FH said...

I once made Beet and Carrot Halwa mixed, more Carrots than Beets. Beautiful color Kalai, we love Beets at home!:))

Laavanya said...

Good to hear that your grandmother is better now Kalai.. I can understand how worrying it must've been. Take good care of your health too.
I've always been fascinated by Beetroot Halwa... i can't even remember when I last tasted it (if at all I did) but something about the colour always had me in awe.. must try one day. Looks pretty.

TBC said...

The color makes me want to try it out. So pretty! Congrats on the contest win.:D
Hope you are feeling better now, Kalai.

Cham said...

The color is attractive, i make it too... Hope and wish ur granny is doing better Kalai. Yes, this kind of news , just let us go down certainly....
Congrats Dear to win the open sesame!

Vanamala Hebbar said...

looks tasty halwa

Kalai i have tagged meme for u do check out

Archy said...

I remember my anuty made this halwa when i visited her place :) !!
Wow, Looks yummy, Lovely color Kalai !!

Lisa Turner said...

Pure bliss! You know, I was thinking of making halwa recently, and was hunting around for recipes. I finally settled on an idea, but this is the one I will try. I adore beetroot and still remember how much I enjoyed a beetroot cake I made a while back.

I'm thinking honey could be substituted for the sugar?

Meera said...

never tasted beetroot halwa but now I am inspited to try it.

Revathi said...

Hi Kalai
Hope you are feeling better mentally and my prayers to your ammayi to feel better.

Beetrooot halwa - only 2 thumbs up ?-- All 4 thumbs and rest 16 fingers up !!

Still lingering taste in my mouth.....

Prema Sundar said...

before my marriage I have tried making beetroot halwa. Though i love it didn't have a chance to make it for a very loooooong time. U just reminded me and the pic has rekindled my tastebuds ... will make it this friday. thanks.

Uma said...

take care Kalai! good to hear that your grandma is doing good too. the beetroot halwa looks so delicious. Congrats on the win.

ST said...

Glad to hear that your grandmother is doing well.Halwa looks yummy.Love the color.Congrats for winning the open sesame!!!!

Srivalli said...

Kalai..that halwa is a real killer!...glad to know that your grandmother is better now. I do know that heat can be depressing, so do perk up and post more..heheh..:)..

EC said...

Halwa is really tempting..am going on a break, but my posts will be updated daily thanks to blogger...will try out ur halwa once i am back

Madhavi said...

Congratulations for winning...Oh halwa looks great, awesome recipe, great color.
Good to know that grandmother is better now.

Sagari said...

beautiful halwa kalai ,yummyy

Daily Meals said...

Hi Kalai! Beetroot halwa looks healthy and yummy...Love the colour. I posted beetroot burfi long back in my blog.

Unknown said...

nice halwa..want to try it for a long time now..you have inspired me to do it ...looks truly delicious

Unknown said...

your beetroot halwa reminds me of my mom's halwa!

Amrutha Ragavan said...

Ah! That is just a perfect looking beetroot Halwa. I was blog hopping and landed on your site. I like the name. Reminds me of Meenakshi Ammal's book. Keep blogging and sending aroma our way!

Richa said...

hi kalai, how hv u been? nice to catch up with ur recent posts, liked this halwa. btw how did u mail the halwa? does it stay long without refrigeration, liked the idea :) tx

Kalai said...

Thanks again to all of you for your kind words and support in my time of need. You have no idea how much each and every comment meant to me. Definitely lifted my spirits! :)

Richa said...

hey, i really wanted to know how u mailed it? does it take ok to the mailing? i mean how long will it stay w/o refrigeration for the mailing? tx

Kalai said...

Richa, I actually left the halwa in the fridge overnight and mailed it by priority mail the next day. Priority mail is supposed to reach the person in 2-3 days. So far, it's worked out! I didn't pack it with any refrigeration, but apparently you can tell the post office that you're sending perishables and they'll take precautions for it. Hope this helps and sorry for my late response! Let me know if you have any further q's, ok? :)

Vani said...

halwa looks yum! and beetroot has such a lovely color, doesn't it?