Goodbye Gluten: badam halwa

Badam, or almond, halwa is an Indian delicacy. It is very popular in the south and you can find it in almost every sweet stall you come across. During special occasions, it is tradition to give friends and family a little portion of the special dishes you have prepared in light of the festive season, and badam halwa is a go-to recipe.

This addictive sweet brings back memories of when I was a little kid and when my grandmother used to make massive batches of the sweet to distribute to the entire family. Especially with Diwali around the corner, we have been in the sweet-making spirit and have started to experiment with different types of popular Indian snacks.  

Ingredients

• 1 cup almonds soaked in boiling water for an hour
• ½ cup water
• 1 ½ cups Brown Sugar
• 2 tsp+ 4 tsp Clarified butter (ghee)
• Cardamom

Directions 

• Skin the almonds by applying pressure on the fat end of the almonds. Because they are soaked in the hot water, the skins should just peel off with ease
• Grind the almonds until they are a smooth paste
• In a large saucepan put the sugar and 2 tsp of water
• On a medium flame melt the sugar
• Once the sugar has melted add the almond paste, remaining ghee, and cardamom and cook the mixture for 20 minutes
• Allow to cool in a tray and cut in squares or roll then into bite size balls