Halbai

Name: Halbai
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 1 h 10 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Karnataka
Ingredients: 200 g raw rice; 2 tbsp Cooked rice; 300 ml thick coconut milk; 150 g Jaggery; 0.25 tsp cardamom powder; 1 pinch Salt; 1 tsp oil

A delicate steamed dessert of fermented ground rice and coconut milk, set into thin white discs and cut into diamonds, once common at Tulu Nadu festivities.

🇮🇳India· Karnataka

Prep: 30 min
Cook: 40 min
Total: 70 min
Servings: 6
Difficulty: Medium
Calories: 210 kcal

Ingredients

0 of 7 gathered

Servings

Equipment

•Steamer
•Grinder
•Flat plates for setting

Nutrition

Per serving, approximate

Calories: 210 kcal
fat: 6 g
carbs: 38 g
fibre: 1 g
protein: 2 g
calories: 210 kcal

Instructions

1
Grind the soaked raw rice, cooked rice, and a little water together until you get a smooth batter.
2
Cover the batter and leave it in a warm place for 4-5 hours to ferment lightly.
3
Dissolve the jaggery in a little warm water. Strain the liquid to remove any grit.
4
Mix the fermented batter, jaggery syrup, coconut milk, cardamom powder, and a pinch of salt until smooth and pourable.
5
Lightly grease flat plates or thalis (round metal plates) with oil.
6
Pour a thin layer of batter onto each plate. Place the plates into a steamer.
7
Steam for 10-12 minutes until each layer sets firm and looks slightly see-through.
8
Let everything cool completely. Cut into diamond or square pieces before serving.

Chef's tips

Ferment only lightly to soften the raw rice taste, as over-fermenting makes the halbai sour. Let each layer cool completely before slicing so the delicate pieces stay intact.