Vegan Halwa Food

BESAN HALWA - CHICKPEA FLOUR FUDGE

Steps:

• Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add chickpea flour to the oil. Mix and roast for about 10 minutes. Stir occasionally. The flour will be dry, then become like fat breadcrumbs and eventually change color slightly and start to stick to make larger lumps.
• Meanwhile bring 1 cup of water to a boil.
• Add the nuts, currants and salt to the chickpea flour and cook for another 2 minutes. Add the sugar and cardamom seeds and mix in.
• Add 1/2 cup hot boiling water to the skillet and mix in. Add the rest 1/4 cup of the water and continue to mix vigorously. The chickpea flour mixture will become lumpy and eventually become smooth and custard like. Continue to mix to break the lumps. (use a whisk if the lumps do not break within the first 1-2 mins). Cook for about 3 minutes, then take off heat. Garnish with sliced nuts. Serve warn or cold. Store in a closed container for a few hours on the counter. Refrigerate for upto 5 days.

HALWA

Steps:

• Heat 250ml water in a pan until boiling, then stir in the sugar and food colouring, if using.
• Remove the seeds from the cardamom pods and discard, then add 3 of the cardamom husks to the pan. Boil for several minutes, then transfer to a heatproof jug or bowl.
• Heat the ghee in the same pan, then add the remaining cardamom husks and the pistachios. Fry for 1 min, then add the semolina. Toast for a few minutes, stirring frequently to prevent burning. Return the hot sugar syrup to the pan, stirring continuously to avoid clumping until all the liquid has been absorbed. The cooked halwa should mould together easily. Scoop out the cardamom husks and serve hot with puris or parathas, if you like.