Badam Halwa is a rich, delicious Indian dessert prepared with the pureed almonds, ghee, sugar and saffron. Whenever my hubby goes to Chennai, he use to get this Badam Halw and my kids love this a lot. As it’s purely made of badam/almonds and ghee, it would be in small quantity but very expensive and so thought of preparing it at home for this Diwali.

Badam/Almond Halwa takes about 30 mins, and yummy, delicious and the aroma is unbeatable. So hereafter I would say no to outside Badam Halwa. Let me share the recipe of Badam Halwa…

Do check out my other Diwali/Deepavali recipes in this link: https://madraasi.com/2015/11/03/deepavali-diwali-sweets-and-savories/ and do check out my other halwa recipes in this link: https://madraasi.com/recipes/desserts/.

I am taking this to Fiesta Friday #94 hosted by Angie@thenovicegarderner.

Badam (Almond) Halwa

Ingredients:

• Badam/Almonds – 2 cups (levelled)
• Sugar – 2 cups
• Water – 2 cups
• Clarified butter/Ghee – 1 ½ cups
• Milk – 1 cup
• Saffron – few strands
• Yellow food colour – a pinch

Making of Badam Halwa –

Preparation:

• Soak almonds for 2 hrs or soak almonds/badam in boiling water for 15 mins.
• Soak saffron in a tbsp of hot milk for 10 mins.
• Drain the water and peel off the skin of the almonds/badam, grind it in the mixer with a cup of milk to a coarse or fine paste (as you prefer, I grounded to coarse paste).
• Grease a tray with a tsp of ghee/clarified butter.
• In a non-stick vessel, add in sugar and pour the water, let it boil, stir well so that the sugar dissolves well and let it reduces to ¾ of the quantity.
• Now pour in the ground almond/badam mixture to the kadai, and start stirring it continuously.
• Add a pinch of yellow food colour to the soaked saffron milk, give a sir and pour it to the badam.
• Stir well and when it starts thickening, pour in the ghee/clarified butter little by little along the sides of the badam mixture and start stirring it.
• Badam/almonds keeps on absorbing the ghee/clarified butter as you pour, but at one stage it starts releasing the ghee/clarified butter along the sides and comes to a glassy and rolling consistency.
• Transfer the badam/almond halwa to the greased tray and level it with a spoon.
• Sprinkle few strands of saffron and finely chopped almonds/badam over it.

Badam/Almond soaked in hot water

Badam/Almond peeled and ground to coarse or grainy paste

Saffron and a pinch of yellow food colour in the milk

Badam/Almond paste to the sugar syrup

Getting cooked

With saffron milk

Getting cooked and started thickening

With ghee/clarified butter

Leaving the sides and releasing the ghee/clarified butter along the sides

Transferred to a greased tray

Levelled in a grease tray and with few strands of saffron

Badam (Almond) Halwa

Note: cook on medium flame or low flame once the badam/almond is added to the sugar syrup. Keep on stirring continuously else the halwa will be burnt. Do not reduce the quantity of ghee/clarified butter, else it would become sticky and would be chewy.