Oats & Nut Halwa is a treat for halwa lovers; a perfect beginner recipe with 3 simple steps and ready in 12 mins!
Halwas are a favorite dessert in the Indian Subcontinent. You can make them from flours, nuts, vegetables, fruits. They are cooked for hours in ghee and sugar with milk and topped with nuts. A bite of warm halwa is so satisfying especially for that sweet tooth. Here is a new variation: Oats & Nut halwa with oats and walnuts. With ingredients like Walnuts and oatmeal, this is a halwa you will feel less guilty enjoying on your treat cheat days. Packed with good healthy fats from walnuts, held together with oatmeal. It is a rich and filling dessert.
Old school halwa’s typically take a long time to cook, you have to keep stirring for hours! However there are ways to take some shortcuts to simplify the process to save time and put in less effort. This recipe has 3 simple steps; soak, blend and cook. Halwa is ready in just 12 mins. A great beginner recipe to try out and impress your loved ones. Let’s begin…
Makes: 4 servings
Time: 12 mins
Level of difficulty: Simple!
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup Oatmeal (plain quick cook oatmeal used for breakfast)
- 1/2 cup milk powder
- 1 cup walnuts (plus a few whole for garnish)
- 1 tbsp ghee or butter
- 1/4 tsp cardamom powder (elaichi)
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1/2 cup sugar
- Optional: A few Saffron strands
Method:
- In a blender jar add nuts, milk and oatmeal and let it soak for 1 hour.
- Then blend the mixture into a paste.
- In a nonstick pot on medium heat, melt ghee, add the blended mixture. stir and cook for 5 mins. Mixture will start to turn brown as it cooks.
- Add the rest of the ingredients and stir in well. Keep stirring and cooking for 7 mins till the mixture becomes a ball and sticks together, loosens from the sides of the pan, and releases some oils.
- Transfer into serving dish, decorate the top with nuts.
- Enjoy hot or warm!
Tips:
- This recipe gives a soft smooth texture. If you like to have bits of nuts then add 1/8 cup large chopped walnuts to the mixture so you get a grainy texture.
- For a different variation replace the oatmeal with desiccated (dried) coconut.
- You can also add 1/2 cup of Khoya to make it richer.
- You can replace the sugar with dates, blend with the mixture in step 2. Or you can use gud, brown sugar as you like.
- No oatmeal, no problem. You can substitute any shortbread cookies! Ginger cookies is a great variation as well.
- Check out other such simplified shortcut delicious recipes in the Sweets section.