Badam ka hulwa

Ingredients

• 1 cup blanched almonds 
• 1 cup whole milk ( you can use low fat for health reasons)
• about 3 tbsp ghee or add 2 tbsp more if you like  (no...push that butter away. Only Ghee!)
• 3-4 tbsp Sugar ( you can use more if you want. I think 1 cup of sugar is used for 1 cup of almonds)
• 1/4 tsp cardamom powder
• pinch of saffron (optional)

Method

1. Take the blanched almonds and little milk in a food processor and grind it to a coarse paste. 

2. Use milk as much as needed. You can mix it later while cooking the almonds. I usually add all the milk while pulsing the almonds.

3.  Take a non stick pan. I would recommend using it, esp. for beginners since it is helpful in making sure that your almond mixture does not burn as easily. Even a little burn will spoil the whole dish completely. Yeah! Finicky little sweet - but then as they say, totally worth it. Pour about 2 tbsp of ghee and when little warm, add the almond mixture. You can add any remaining milk, if any now.

4.  Cook the mixture in medium heat for 3-4 minutes, stirring all the while slowly to avoid sticking to the bottom.

5. In the beginning, the mixture will keep sticking to the pan hence supervision(read stirring) is required.

6. Now add the sugar, few tablespoons or 1 cup - whatever works for you - to the mixture. Mix well.

 7. The mixture will become little more fluid thanks to all that sugar melting. I have known people to make sugar syrup and then add to the almond mixture. Gawd! The variety to make one single Indian sweet in so many different ways is boundless!!. But I find this method easier. I am not that pally with Sugar syrup fairy!

 

8. Cook for another 5-10 minutes  until you see the mixture boiling. Be careful since the behavior tends to match molten lava - with the bubbles bursting and splattering all over you! Those hot pricks of the mixture is not a nice experience to have. :). Add the remaining 1 tbsp. of ghee and saffron at this point and keep stirring for some more time.

 

9.You know its done when the mixture comes together into one sort of thick lump. It stops sticking to the pan and also remember the hot air shooting of the mixture earlier? - that stops and the mixture looks sedated now, calmly moving and dancing around the pan with absolute ease when you keep stirring it. I think this totally takes around 30 minutes to get done. The color of the sweet also turns slightly golden thanks to the saffron. You can add red/yellow food colors for a more attractive color, if needed.

 

10.You can now take a chill pill and flex your sore hand now from all that stirring! Your efforts are going to be paid off