Apple and Oats Halwa – A century of posts

It feels surreal to have completed 100 posts on this ‘Deelightfully Veg’ blog. The blogversary also happened last month and it has been fun sharing food posts with all my readers. It’s enriching to interact with fellow food bloggers from all parts of the world and learning things in this journey. Today, I want to take this opportunity to say a big THANK YOU to each of you for taking the time to read my blog. Your comments and valuable inputs mean a lot. To celebrate this century on a sweet note, today’s recipe is ‘Apple and Oats Halwa’. When I saw deep red apples in the market, I bought them in bulk. And then I thought of using them in desserts so that I could finish them. Halwa is an Indian dessert typically made with milk and ghee and generally made during festivals. This Apple Halwa is ideal if you are looking for something different to make with apples. It tastes absolutely phenomenal with the right balance of sweetness and texture.

Recipe Details :
Serves: 5-6 pax
Time: 40 mins
Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients :

• 5 medium-sized red apples, peeled
• 5 tbsp oats
• 4 tbsp sugar
• 5 tbsp ghee
• 1 cup milk
• 10 cashews, broken in half
• 7 raisins
• 2 tsp cardamom powder

• Take a small pan and add 2 tbsp of ghee. Roast the cashews and raisins on low flame till they become golden brown. Switch off the flame.
• Take a pan and dry roast the oats. They should turn golden brown. Then turn off the flame and keep it aside so that they cool down.
• After 10 mins, grind the oats into a smooth powder.
• Now peel the red apples and grate them. Use the side with the biggest holes. Be quick in this as they should not turn brown.
• Take a pan and add the grated apples. Add the roasted cashews and raisins and saute them well.
• Meanwhile, grind the sugar and cardamom seeds together to form a smooth powder and keep it aside.
• Now in the cooking pan, along with apples and dry fruits, add the oats powder and 3/4 cup milk and mix all the ingredients together well. Ensure low to medium flame at this stage.
• Keep stirring till all the moisture gets absorbed.
• Now add the powdered sugar-cardamom mixture to this and mix well. Pour the remaining 3 tbsp of ghee and mix well.
• To balance the consistency of halwa at the end, add the remaining 1/4 cup of milk only if required.
• Serve this delicious apple halwa hot.

Tips:

• The apples will turn brown very quickly once you grate them. Either grate and use quickly, or store in the fridge
• The halwa will thicken as it cooks. Add milk to bring it to the consistency you like.