10 Day Durga Puja and Navratri Sweets Special: Classic halwa edition

Need some ideas on what dessert to prepare on which day of Durga Puja or Navratri? We’ve got you fam with these easy Navratri sweets or rather a selection of classic halwas that you can make for this festive season  It's the season of celebrations after all, so the calorie counting can wait and let the indulgence of the ghee-rich goodness consume you over this festival of good triumphing over evil. 

1. Sooji Halwa

(Serves 4)

Ingredients

• 75 gm sooji (semolina)
• 100 gm sugar
• 90 gm ghee
• 120 ml milk
• 240 ml water
• ¼ tsp cardamom powder
• 1 tbsp slivered almonds for garnish

Instructions

1. Add sugar, milk, and water into a thick bottom saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring until sugar fully dissolves. Set aside.
2. Take a heavy-bottomed nonstick pan, and dry roast sooji on low heat for a couple of minutes. Add ghee and increase to medium-low heat. Cook sooji until light brown, stirring continuously.
3. Add cardamom powder to the sooji. Reduce heat to the lowest setting and carefully pour in the boiled milk-water-sugar mixture. 
4. Increase heat to medium-low and stir continuously, ensuring nothing sticks to the bottom. The halwa will start to come together, and the mixture will begin to bubble and splash.
5. Continue stirring until the halwa reaches a dropping consistency. Remove from heat. As it cools, the texture will become grainy.
6. Garnish with slivered almonds, cashews, and raisins before serving.

2. Moong Daal Halwa

(Serves 6)

Ingredients

• 200 gm moong dal (split yellow lentils)
• Water, for soaking
• 120 ml ghee
• 1 tbsp semolina
• 475 ml milk
• 200 gm sugar
• 5 cashews, chopped
• 5 almonds, chopped
• ½ tsp cardamom powder

Instructions

1. Rise the moong dal well until the water runs clear instead of cloudy and soak for two hours.
2. After two hours, drain off the water and transfer to a blender. Blend to a coarse paste adding water if required. Keep aside.
3. In a large kadai, heat the ghee and add the semolina, rava, or sooji and roast on low flame until the semolina releases an aroma. The rava will give a good texture to the halwa.
4. Now add the blended semi-coarse moong dal and mix well.
5. Keeping the flame on medium, cook, stirring frequently, until the moong dal absorbs the ghee. Continue to cook breaking the lumps.
6. Cook until the mixture crumbles with a nice grainy look and feel. 
7. After 20 minutes, the mixture will be somewhat dry. When that happens, pour milk and add the saffron. You can also use a water or milk-water combination for a less rich halwa.
8. Stir continuously, until the mixture absorbs all the milk. Keep cooking until the halwa holds shape and leaves the sides of the kadai.
9. Now add sugar, mix well, and let it dissolve into the halwa. Continue to cook on low flame breaking any lumps that might form.
10. Cook until the halwa and ghee separate and turn golden brown. This takes approximately 1 hour.
11. Now add the nuts, and cardamom powder, mixing well to combine and remove from heat. 
12. Enjoy moong dal halwa garnished with more nuts.

3. Gajar ka Halwa

(Serves 6)

Instructions

• 10 large carrots
• 2 tbsp ghee
• 240 ml full cream milk
• 150 ml sweetened condensed milk
• 8 cardamom pods, powdered
• 10 cashews, chopped
• 10 almonds, chopped
• 2 tsp pistachios, finely chopped

Instructions

1. Wash red carrots, preferably, otherwise normal carrots will do too, then peel their skin. Then grate them using a steel grater with the mesh that produces long threads.
2. Transfer the grated carrots to the kadai. Add the ghee and saute for three minutes. This helps carrots to cook fast and also prevents quick disintegration after cooking.
3. Add milk and mix well to help cook the carrots and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. 
4. Simmer for five minutes, or so, until the milk evaporates completely.
5. The carrots will be cooked well at this point. Then add the condensed milk and mix well. Do a taste test later to and add sugar if it's not sweet enough. 
6. Bring to a boil again and stir occasionally, so the carrots cook completely doesn't stick to the bottom or get burnt.
7. Keep mixing and stirring to mash, until the excess moisture evaporates completely.
8. Add cardamom powder, cashews, and almonds when it reaches a wet and thick consistency.
9. Give a good mix and turn off the heat.
10. Serve the gajar ka halwa garnished with chopped pistachios.