Badam Halwa : Almond Dessert Pudding 

Nothing drives a mother more than her instinct to feed healthy , nutritious yet yummy food to her kids. 

My twins are turning 8 months old soon, and I was thinking of introducing almonds to them in some unique yet healthy way. Hence, I decided to make Badam Halwa for them. What better way to feed them than a Halwa with goodness of nuts and richness of ghee . But the hurdle was , I have chosen to opt out  refined sugar for my babies till they turn 1 . So finally I had a Eureka! moment and I decided to replace sugar with jaggery. Voila! Here is my healthy yet yummy Badam Halwa: Almond Dessert Pudding recipe. 

Prep time: 10 minutes (4 hours to soak almonds)

Cooking time: approx 30 minutes

Makes 6 medium sized serves. 

Badam Halwa: Almond Dessert Pudding

Ingredients:

1. Ghee : 4 tbsp
2. Jaggery : 1/2 cup (grated) 
3. Milk : 1 cup ~ 230 ml (Pasteurised Cow’s Milk only, for babies) 
4. Almonds : 1 cup  (soaked in water for 4 hours and peeled)
5. Elaichi/Cardamom : 4-5 (crushed and dehusked)
6. Saffron/Kesar : a pinch 
7. Water : to dissolve jaggery 

Method :

1. Take almonds (soaked and peeled) in a blending jar. Add milk enough to cover the almonds. Blend till the consistency is smooth and thick , not runny. It should resemble the consistency of a dosa batter. 
2. Take jaggery and water in a Kadhai, water should be just enough to dissolve jaggery. On medium heat , dissolve jaggery and keep stirring. 
3. Once the jaggery solution comes to a boil, add the Badam-Milk blend in the Kadhai. Keep stirring continuously until the Halwa is made , as almonds are quick to get burnt.
4. Add ghee 1 tbsp at a time every 2 minutes and keep stirring. 
5. Add saffron strands and continue stirring. 
6. Take cardamom , dry roast in a pan and crush in a mortar & pestle . Remove the elaichi husk/shell .
7. Add the cardamom powder to the Halwa and continue stirring.
8. After 20-25 minutes , you will observe the changing consistency of Halwa. Once the oil separates and it does not stick on the surface of Kadhai, your Halwa is ready .
9. Garnish with saffron strands and serve hot.

Points to note 

• Keep stirring to avoid lumps and prevent almonds from burning.
• Cook on medium heat for best results.
• You can replace jaggery with sugar . 1 cup sugar for 1 cup almonds. 
• Cook till you achieve desired consistency. 
• Use ghee for best results.
• Use can combine saffron with milk before adding.
• Check temperature before serving it to children.
• Please check with your doctor before introducing nuts to babies , specially if you have family history of nuts allergy.

CalorieMeter: I think it is better if I don’t mention. Just enjoy the taste and do portion control. 

Still confused about what to feed your baby ? Read our Ultimate Baby Food Recipe List – Click here!

For more healthy recipes Follow us on Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/FridayNColumn/