The winter season back home always bought with itself a different feeling than the sun -lit mornings I wake up to here in the Valley.I ponder for few minutes and those foggy mornings & biting chilly winter winds come hovering in my mind, that peak of the cold season spread over few days at the end and start of another year which forced enough reasons to wear multiple layers of clothes, those endless cravings of rich, heavy food and the countless cups of hot beverages that comforted me before darting out of the home to get to work. I often recall those evening trips to crappy street food joints to carelessly stuff on piping hot vegetable momos and egg rolls without any guilt or doubt. I remember those cloyingly sweet adrak(ginger) chai & frothy coffee which I snuggled within my palms on cold weekend mornings, lazily fliping through the newspaper on the couch. Suddenly all I can feel is the warmth of those memories in my heart.
What is your fond winter memory? A warm bowl of soup caressing your numb fingers or a strong cup of coffee to relax your clattering teeth? The silence that wraps the streets of neighborhood at five in the evenings or the mellow sun already preparing to call it a day mid-afternoon? The crisp winds which feel the chilliest on the tip of the nose or the beautiful grey that surrounds the snow days?The beholding sight of snow sculptures outside or the beauty of the flickering fireplace inside?
I recall that badi mummy (my grandmother) would often feed us this smooth and rich atte ka halwa during these winter months, sometimes to soothe our sore throats, other times just as a quick after meal dessert . There we sat on a hand-woven couch in the veranda, wrapped in cozy layers of thin shaleen razais (velvet quilts) and oiled hair, clutching stainless steel katoris (bowls) and spooning this comfortingly warm, golden brown pudding into our tummies.She insisted that nothing could benefit the body more than grains & ghee.This halwa is indeed wholesome - whole wheat flour is slow roasted in ghee till its turns glistening golden then sweetened with gud(jaggery), resulting in a rich concoction few spoons of which will instantly make you feel full.
The main ingredient here is atta (durum whole wheat flour) and a fine grind is what gives the halwa a smooth & velvety texture.In case you have some atta leftover from that package of durum wheat flour you bought to make rotis, this is another recipe for you to try. Gud or jaggery, an unrefined sugar made from boiling date, sugar cane or palm juice is an extremely popular sweetener used all over India. It is considered a benefiting to the body in Ayurvedic medicine and is available in blocks, loaves or powdered form.The unique mild taste of jaggery adds a taste comparable to molasses and a light caramel color to the dishes.The color & the sweetness of this halwa depends mainly on the content of molasses in it.
You can ration the quantity of the halwa you eat & serve but I suggest not reducing the amount of ghee when making this recipe else the halwa loses its rustic appeal and gets chewy. It is supposed to be enjoyed in less quantities but essentially with the richness from all that ghee.I like my halwa  mildly sweet and the amount noted in the recipe perfect for that. You can adjust the quantity of jaggery if you like.
Atta Halwa
Ingredients
- ¾ cup ghee
- 1 cup atta whole wheat flour
- 1 +¾ cup water
- 1 cup jaggery
- ¼ teaspoon green cardamom powder
- Nuts & Raisins to serve (optional)
Instructions
- In a heavy bottomed pan heat the ghee on a medium low heat till it melts.
- Once the ghee has melted, add the atta and start toasting on medium- low heat, stirring constantly until the wheat flour gets golden brown color and you smell a nutty aroma. Do not rush this step else the flour will remain raw.It should take about 10-12 minutes and you will see golden brown melted ghee & flour slurry in the pan.
- Meanwhile, on the second stove, in a sauce pan, heat water on high. Switch off the stove and add jaggery. Stir until jaggery completely dissolves. If you have broken jaggery from the block and the big chunks are taking time to dissolve, heat up the water a little bit (but do not let it boil). Let sit near to stove.
- Once the wheat flour has turned dark brown and it has roasted nicely,reduce heat to low and very carefully pour in the jaggery water into the roasted wheat-flour. It will splutter so be careful. Add the cardamom powder as well.
- On low heat, stir quickly and continuously (to avoid lumps) and cook for a minute or less until the mixture turns smooth.Once you add the water, the mixture will immediately clump up and increase in volume. Do not cook for long time else the halwa will thicken and turn dry.
- Mix in the nuts and raisins (if using ) and combine. Serve the halwa warm or at room temperature.
cafegarima
Love gud aata halwa and your clicks are making me yearn !
indisk restaurant
Look vise I did't like it, hope the taste gonna be awesome. I'll try it soon....
Tanvi
I hear you. it is typical brown food that is so good to eat!!
Rosa Jeanne Mayland
A beautiful post. I love everything about winter (the food, the atmosphere, the light, etc...)...
A comforting and wholesome halwa.
Cheers,
Rosa
noodlesforthoughts
aata sounds so simple but the halwa tastes as royal!! This must be awesome..had heard of sugary atta halwa before this.
-Do check out my new post on 'by the window' strawberry shake @ https://noodles4thoughts.wordpress.com/2015/01/08/by-the-window-strawberry-shake/ if you would like to.
Anjana @ At The Corner Of Happy & Harried
My mom always makes atta halwa and this post reminds me of those days!
kennedymf
Enjoyed reading this very much! Thank you my Valley Blogger!
spiceinthecity
A lovely post and that halwa looks beautiful! I have to try this soon 😊
wanderingspice
Brilliant! This is entirely new to me but I do have jaggery at home. Totally agree to use the recommended amount of ghee but just enjoy a little at a time. Good philosophy 🙂
padma
Awesome clicks...tempting halwa!!
Carol at Wild Goose Tea
I love your memories. I keep saying that just about every week. I suspect I will continue to repeat myself. Hopefully you find it encouraging. I never seen a pudding like this recipe.
Kiran @ KiranTarun.com
Aate ka halwa jolts many great childhood memories!
Swang
Looks lovely! Question,which brand of jaggery do you buy here from the indian stores? 🙂
Tanvi
Hmm, I get my supply from India each year. But if I have to recommend, I once bought jaggery from "Deep foods" and it was quite good.
Food Court Faisalabad
I have seen your posts, these are fabulous and well defined. I'm fall in love with Faisalabad Restaurant and recipes. Thanks for sharing a wonderful recipes.