on Oct 24, 2024 I love making a variety of halwas at home and here are some of my favorites – Lauki Halwa, Moong Dal Halwa, Sooji Halwa, Bread Halwa, and Beetroot Halwa. Both my mom and dad are phenomenal cooks. While both of them cook just a handful of dishes, but whatever they cook is just perfect. This besan halwa is my mom’s specialty. Besan ka halwa recipe has become popular these days, but when we were growing up, not many people made halwa using besan. It was my mom’s unique recipe which everyone wanted to eat for parties and festivals. So for every get-together, our family and friends would request my mom to make this delicious dessert and she always obliged. I still remember the delicious nutty aroma that wafted through the entire house from the kitchen when she would roast besan to make this halwa, or for that matter, any sweet made using besan like Besan ke laddu, barfi, etc. In this post, I am sharing her recipe. Do try!
About Besan Halwa
Besan Halwa (Chickpea Flour Pudding) is traditional Indian sweet dish which is made using chickpea flour (besan, gram flour), ghee, sugar, and dried nuts. It is perfect to make when you want a quick dessert. It can also be made for weddings, special occasions, pujas, and festive occasions like Holi and Diwali. What I like about my mom’s besan ka halwa recipe is that it is a one-pot recipe unlike some recipes on the internet which require you to make a sugar syrup separately.
Serving Suggestions
Serve besan halwa warm or at room temperature. I like to garnish it with lots of chopped or slivered dried nuts and dried rose petals before serving. To make it even more indulgent, fry the chopped nuts in some ghee and then top them over the halwa. For the best results, try to use whole milk (full-fat milk). But if it’s unavailable, then you can also use skim milk and low-fat milk. Please make the halwa only in ghee and not oil. Halwa made in oil will not at all taste good. You can replace white granulated sugar with brown sugar or coconut sugar but the traditional taste comes only with white sugar. Dried nuts like almonds and pistachios add a nice crunch to the otherwise soft halwa. Use a sharp knife or a nut slicer to sliver them and top the ready halwa with them. You can also add cashews and raisins to it. Note – The color of the final halwa will depend on how well you have roasted the flour. You want the flour to be dark golden brown but not burn it. It goes from perfectly browned to burnt in a few seconds. So monitor it closely while roasting. Garnish the ready halwa with slivered with almond and pistachios and serve hot. Fry the besan on medium heat. If you fry it on high heat, it might get burned and the halwa will taste bitter. If the besan is not fried properly, it tastes raw. So make sure to fry it until it turns dark brown and a nutty aroma starts to emit from it. You can use milk in place of water for a richer halwa. Add some whole wheat flour or fine sooji (semolina) to the besan mixture to make different variations of besan ka halwa. To make besan ka halwa recipe even more indulgent and give it a royal touch, soak 15-20 saffron strands in 1 tablespoon milk for 30 minutes. Now add this milk while making the recipe. In my house, halwa is made for breakfast along with some savory dish as well as for desserts. You can also make it for festivals, special occasions, or get-togethers. Besan halwa is considered very good to eat during pregnancy and for growing kids and is said to be a sure-shot remedy to comfort the severe cold. Make it a little thinner by adding more milk if you plan to serve it as a medicine for a cold or sore throat.
Storage Suggestions
I try to make the exact quantity of this halwa as needed at that time as it tastes the best when made fresh. But still, sometimes, I have leftovers. In that case, it can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. When you want to serve it again, just reheat it in a pan or microwave until nice and warm. If you feel it has become thick after refrigerating, add some milk or water and adjust the consistency. You can also freeze it for 2 months. Just thaw it overnight in the fridge or for a few hours over the counter before heating. Heat in a microwave and serve.
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