Pineapple Halwa

Thali: The Pineapple Halwa is in the last bowl on the bottom-right.

On a recent trip to India, I visited a restaurant that serves Indian Thali meals. Thali is a Hindi word that means plate, and a Thali meal is one that includes small servings of a variety appetizers, entrees, sides, accompaniments and desserts. One of the desserts in the Thali meal, that I enjoyed very much, was Pineapple Halwa.  That was the first time I ever tried it, and I made a mental note to make it when I returned home.

There are many types of Halwas (also spelled as Halva) and you can read more about them on Wikipedia. This recipe is similar to that for Sooji Halwa with a few differences – don’t add Cardamom Powder so that the Pineapple flavor stands out and add some Saffron to enhance the Pineapple flavor.

A couple notes about this recipe – it scales up well, so you can double the recipe by adjusting the quantity of ingredients accordingly. If you want to make it vegan, then use Oil instead of Ghee. This recipe calls for less than half the quantity of Ghee that is typically added to halwa that is prepared in restaurants; feel free to increase the quantity of Ghee to make it richer based on your personal preference.

Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Yield: Around 4-6 servings

Ingredients

1/2 cup Semolina (Sooji)
1 cup Pineapple (canned or fresh)
1/2 cup Sugar
2 cups Water
3 tbsp Clarified butter (Ghee)
1 tbsp slivered Almonds (see note under Preparation to sliver whole almonds)
1 tbsp chopped Cashews
8-10 Saffron strands

Preparation

In a saucepan, add Sugar, Saffron and 2 cups of water. Leave it on a slow flame when you start making the halwa, so that the sugar dissolves and the syrup is warm when you add it to the pan. This syrup will be added halfway through the cooking of the halwa.

Spanish Saffron available on Amazon.com

Cut up the Pineapple into small pieces.

To sliver the almonds, soak them in boiling hot water for about 5 minutes, and then drain. Once they are cool enough to handle, pinch an almond between your thumb and index finger, and its skin should slip off easily. You can then cut them up as needed into  slivers.  Set the almonds aside for now.

Cooking Pineapple Halwa

Step 1
Melt 2 tbsp of Ghee in a heavy bottomed pan, on medium heat.

Step 2
Add the Semolina and mix well.

Step 3
Keep stirring the Semolina continuously until it turns brown and aromatic; about 5-6 minutes, depending on the heat level. NOTE: It is important to keep stirring to ensure that the Semolina does not burn. You can toast it on medium or low heat, but the higher the heat level, the more frequently you have to stir it.

Step 4
Add the Pineapple along with the juice, mix it in and cook for 2-3 minutes on medium heat, stirring occasionally.

Step 5
Pour in the Saffron Sugar syrup, and mix well.

Step 6
Continue cooking, stirring every minute or so, until the Semolina absorbs all the liquid and expands; about 5 minutes total. Leave 1/4 of the almonds aside for a garnish; add the remaining slivered almonds to the pan and mix well.

Garnish with some pieces of Pineapple and almonds and enjoy.

Curry on!

Pineapple Halwa

 

Print

Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

30 mins

Total time

45 mins

 

On a recent trip to India, I visited a restaurant that serves Indian Thali meals. Thali is a Hindi word that means plate, and a Thali meal is one that includes small servings of a variety appetizers, entrees, sides, accompaniments and desserts. One of the desserts in the Thali meal, that I enjoyed very much, was Pineapple Halwa. That was the first time I ever tried it, and I made a mental note to make it when I returned home. This recipe is similar to that for Sooji Halwa, the key difference being that I leave out the Cardamom Powder so that the Pineapple flavor stands out. I added some Saffron because it complements the Pineapple flavor well. A couple notes about this recipe – it scales up well, so you can double the recipe by adjusting the quantity of ingredients accordingly. If you want to make it vegan, then use Oil instead of Ghee. This recipe calls for less than half the quantity of Ghee that is typically added to halwa that is prepared in restaurants; feel free to increase the quantity of Ghee to make it richer based on your personal preference.

Author: PureCurry.com

Recipe type: Dessert

Cuisine: Indian

Serves: 4-6 servings

Ingredients

• ½ cup Semolina (Sooji)
• 1 cup Pineapple (canned or fresh)
• ½ cup Sugar
• 2 cups Water
• 3 tbsp Clarified butter (Ghee)
• 1 tbsp slivered Almonds (see note under Preparation to sliver whole almonds)
• 1 tbsp chopped Cashews
• 8-10 Saffron strands

Instructions

1. In a saucepan, add Sugar, Saffron and 2 cups of water. Leave it on a slow flame when you start making the halwa, so that the sugar dissolves and the syrup is warm when you add it to the pan. This syrup will be added halfway through the cooking of the halwa.
2. Melt 2 tbsp of Ghee in a heavy bottomed pan, on medium heat.
3. Add the Semolina and mix well.
4. Keep stirring the Semolina continuously until it turns brown and aromatic; about 5-6 minutes, depending on the heat level. NOTE: It is important to keep stirring to ensure that the Semolina does not burn. You can toast it on medium or low heat, but the higher the heat level, the more frequently you have to stir it.
5. Add the Pineapple along with the juice, mix it in and cook for 2-3 minutes on medium heat, stirring occasionally.
6. Pour in the Saffron Sugar syrup, and mix well.
7. Continue cooking, stirring every minute or so, until the Semolina absorbs all the liquid and expands; about 5 minutes total. Leave ¼ of the almonds aside for a garnish; add the remaining slivered almonds to the pan and mix well.
8. Garnish with some pieces of Pineapple and almonds and enjoy.

Notes

o sliver the almonds, soak them in boiling hot water for about 5 minutes, and then drain. Once they are cool enough to handle, pinch an almond between your thumb and index finger, and its skin should slip off easily. You can then cut them up as needed into slivers. Set the almonds aside for now.

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