It’s halwa season

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Winter is here. The thought of getting under layers and layers of woollens does not really make me happy. Also, winter brings with it bouts of cold and sneezing fits which leave me with a persistent headache.
But what can make winter bearable is the food — the kind and the quantity — that one can eat during this season.
A mere mention of rounds of hot ginger tea accompanied by delicious pakoras is enough to set my heart racing.
Add a dollop of pudina or mint chutney and I could survive on pakoras alone for days and days together.
Too much pakoras in my system now and I crave for something sweet, besides the tea, to restore the balance.
A godsend answer to this craving is the Indian sweet called halwa.
The wonderful Suji ka halwa

When I was a kid, Mithun Chakraborty in the guise of a certain halwa-wallah brought joy to children in a Bollywood film. I did not get a chance to know him or the type of halwa but I have had my share of a variety of halwas that are sumptuous and delicious.
Halwa is also associated with auspicious occasions. It is a ritual followed in many parts of our country to serve halwa made of roasted semolina, also known as suji or rawa, combined with sugar and ghee, generously garnished with dry fruits as prasad.
Probably the suji halwa is the most famous of the halwas but another popular halwa that you might know very well is the gajar ka halwa. Carrots are found in abundance in winter and what better use of them if not in a resplendent orange halwa. The carrots are grated and then cooked with milk and sugar. Khoya is an important ingredient of the carrot halwa.
Gajrela or gajar ka halwa

Besan halwa is known for its remedial properties. It is an effective counter against sore throat and common cold as gram flour contains the medicinal properties of B-complex molecules. This also helps to increase the body’s immunity. Atta halwa is a delicious cousin and I associate it with the gurdwaras where the dish is distributed to the people as prasad.
Two vegetables that you can expect to see in a halwa avatar are the pumpkin and bottle gourd. Honestly, when I was presented with the prospect of tasting these two in the form of a halwa I was not very happy or keen. But I must admit that after tasting them my opinion changed very quickly.
Our adventurous kith, in search for quick and easy to make recipes, have invented dishes like bread and banana halwa and also an egg halwa.
Oh! So sinful, the Karach/ Bombay Halwa

For those who like their time in the kitchen there are various options like the moong dal halwa, badam halwa, Karachi halwa and also the sohan halwa. All these dishes demand a lot of labour but end up being worthy of the time and labour spent. 
The word halwa comes from Arabic language where it literally means sweet. Halwa is a popular sweet not only in India and neighbouring countries like Pakistan and Sri Lanka but this sweet dish is also consumed in Central and West Asia, North Africa, Balkans and the Jewish world.


This post first appeared as a column in The New Indian Express on December 7, 2012. The link to it is here: http://newindianexpress.com/education/student/article1369519.ece

Comments

Unknown said…
All that glitters is not gold; all that is sweet is not halwa and the Halwa has a special place in almost all auspicious occasions too. Kraha parsada (Halwa served in Gurudwaras) is unique. This article brings to fore variety of HALWAS....
7:23 PM
anita said…
So important is halwa to our culture that in many communities the first thing that a bride prepares at her in-laws is this delicacy which has numerous Avatars.
7:30 PM
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