Tirunelveli Halwa

Name: Tirunelveli Halwa
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 1 h 30 min
Total time: 2 h 10 min
Yield: 8 servings
Cuisine: Tamil
Ingredients: 250 g whole wheat; 1 l Water; 400 g Sugar; 200 ml Ghee; 30 g cashew nuts; 1 pinch food-grade orange colour; 2 g cardamom powder; 5 ml Lemon juice; 15 g Raisins

A glossy, chewy wheat halwa originating in Tirunelveli, made by extracting wheat starch and slow-cooking it with sugar and ghee for hours until deeply caramelised.

🇮🇳India· Tamil Nadu

Prep: 40 min
Cook: 90 min
Total: 130 min
Servings: 8
Difficulty: Hard
Calories: 340 kcal

Ingredients

0 of 9 gathered

Servings

250 g whole wheat — or wheat flour, for starch extraction
1 l Water — for soaking and extraction
400 g Sugar
200 ml Ghee — clarified butter
30 g cashew nuts — halved
1 pinch food-grade orange colour — optional, traditional hue
2 g cardamom powder
5 ml Lemon juice — few drops, to prevent sugar crystallising
15 g Raisins — optional garnish

Equipment

•Heavy-bottomed kadai
•Muslin cloth

Nutrition

Per serving, approximate

Calories: 340 kcal
fat: 14 g
carbs: 52 g
fibre: 1 g
protein: 3 g
calories: 340 kcal

Instructions

1
Soak the whole wheat overnight. Grind it with water to make a smooth batter.
2
Strain the batter through muslin cloth into a bowl. Squeeze out all the milky starch water and throw away the leftover fibre.
3
Let the strained wheat milk rest for 4-5 hours until the starch settles. Pour off and discard the clear water on top.
4
Mix the settled starch with fresh water. Let it settle again and discard the top water for a cleaner extract.
5
Pour the starch extract into a heavy kadai (deep pan) on low heat. Stir non-stop until it thickens into a clear gel.
6
Add the sugar a little at a time. Keep stirring until the mixture turns shiny and darkens.
7
Add ghee (clarified butter) little by little, stirring constantly. Let the halwa absorb each batch fully before adding more.
8
Keep stirring and cooking for 45-60 minutes. Stop when the halwa turns deep amber and pulls away from the pan sides.
9
Stir in the fried cashews and cardamom powder. Spread the mixture onto a greased plate to set, then cut into squares.