Besan ka Halwa (Chickpea Halva)

My third besan flour recipe was a dessert - the first dessert I've ever made with chickpeas.

My earliest memory of halva was when my family first started keeping Israeli halva in the fridge: my mom and brother had been at Safeway and an elderly man had somehow gotten into conversation with my mom and brother and bought my brother some halva. It was intriguing and delicious. Ever since then, we'd occasionally keep slices of halva in the fridge. It's a semi-sweet snack, with a hard yet flaky texture. The Israeli version is made with tahini or blended sesame seeds.

In India there is also a full range of sweets called halva, and I'm yet to learn whether or not there's a connection between the two countries' versions. Indian halva is a soft, warm dessert with the texture of hummus, but buttery and slightly sweet. So in that sense it also reminds me vaguely of pudding. It's it's own thing, really, and it seems to be a rather every day dessert in India, similar to kheer (the popular vermicelli or rice based pudding). Tasty and satisfying, and perfect if you want something a little more substantial at the end of your meal.

The first time I had Indian halva was at my school canteen - it was moong dal halva (halva made with lentils). I loved it, and that wasn't always the case with canteen food. Later, I was introduced to sooji ka halva at the cooking course my family and I did in Jaipur (I'll post the recipe eventually), which is halva made from semolina flour. Finally, this recipe that I made last week is very similar to the previous two, just with the subtle flavour of toasted chickpeas rather than lentils or semolina. Halva is delicious finished with a little cardamom, golden raisins and chopped cashew nuts. It's extremely simple and has protein in it, so what's not to love.

Besan ka Halwa (Chickpea Halva)

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup ghee or butter
• 1 cup besan (chickpea flour)
• 1 1/2 cups hot milk
• 1/3 cup brown sugar, jaggery or gula merah
• 1 green cardamom pod, crushed
  
  Topping:
• 4-5 cashews (chopped) and 3 tbsp golden raisins, chopped
• OR 5 pistachios and 5 almonds chopped

Directions:

1. In a small saucepan, heat the milk, stirring occasionally, over low heat. Don't let it simmer or boil. Once hot, cover and turn off the heat.
2. Melt the ghee or butter over low heat in a heavy bottomed pan. If using butter, be careful not to burn the butter, so don't let the flame go too high
3. Add the besan and toast, stirring constantly, for 8-10 minutes, or until the besan is darker and has a nutty aroma
4. Continue to toast, stirring, until the besan starts releasing ghee, about 5 more minutes
5. Add 1 cup of hot milk and whisk it in for 2-3 minutes until it's smooth and incorporated, and the whole mixture is almost bubbling
6. Add the remaining 1/2 cup of milk and stir it smooth. Continue to stir over low heat until it feels quite hot to the touch, but is not quite bubbling - 1-2 minutes, or more if your milk was not quite hot
7. Add the sugar and stir over low heat until the sugar is dissolved and the halva starts to leave the edges of the pan
8. Serve the halva hot or warm, as it will get very thick as it cools
   
   To Serve:
9. Add the chopped nuts and raisins into the halva and stir gently to mix them in
10. Serve warm in little bowls, and add a little more fruit and nuts in the individual bowls as a garnish

Reheating your Halva
If you want to make the halva in advance and reheat it before serving, reheat it on the stove over low heat:

1. Return the halva to the pan, break it up into a few chunks and add a few tbsp of milk.
2. Stir over low heat until it returns to a smooth, soft consistency
3. Add nuts and fruit and serve

Enjoy!


For further directions and info, visit the original recipe here.