Coconut Halwa

Coconut Halwa

Coconut halwa is flavorful and yummy sweet. This halwa is made with coconut milk and grated coconut. The bakery near our home in Kerala sells this version of coconut halwa and it was my favorite.You can also lightly toast the coconut. It will improve flavor and give a slight crunch and texture to the halwa. Halwa is very popular in Kerala and you get the best banana halwa is Kozhikode, a city in North Kerala. Earlier I posted nenthra pazham or ripe plantains halwa. This coconut halwa is also tasty and definitely worth the effort.Try this halwa, you will surely love it.

Ingredients
Grated coconut- 3/4 cup
Coconut milk thick-2 cup
Coconut milk thin 3 cup
Sugar- 2 cup
Corn starch- 3/4 cup
Cashew nuts- 1/2 cup
Ghee-1/2 cup
Cardamom powder- 1 tsp

Toast grated coconut and cashew nuts till it turns slight golden. When it cools down make a it into a fine powder. You can add chopped nuts instead of grinding it.

In a heavy bottom pan add the thin coconut milk and the sugar. Mix well and bring it to a boil.

In a bowl add the corn starch and the thick coconut milk and combine till there is no lumps and add to the boiling coconut milk. Stir continuously till the mixture thickens.
 Add the ground coconut and cashew nut and two tsp of ghee. Stir continuously for another 10-15 minutes and in between go on adding the ghee to prevent it from sticking. When it thicken add cardamom powder too.
The halwa is ready when it leaves the edges of the pan and can be rolled into a ball with the spatula. You can also see the ghee separating. The whole process will take around 30 minutes. Take a greased steel plate or tray and spread this mixture evenly (use the back side of a spoon to spread and make it smooth). Allow this to set for  four to five  hours and then cut into desired shapes.

Try this
Hope you will all enjoy!