Badam Halwa

(Badam Katli, Badam Cake, Almond Halwa, Badam ka Sheera)

Ingredients Almonds - 1 cup (around 80 almonds) Milk - 3 tblsp Ghee - 3 tblsp Sugar - 1 cup (or as needed) Saffron - a pinch Kesari Powder/ Yellow food colour - a pinch Method 1. Soak the almonds in hot water for 2 hours and peel the skin off the almonds. To make it faster, boil the almonds with the water for 15-20 minutes and peel them or use store bought peeled almonds. 2. Grind the almonds in a blender or mixie along with the milk to make a paste. Add very little milk just to help the mixie moving. 3. Heat the sugar with 1/4 cup of water and bring it to a boil to make a simple syrup. 4. Add the milk-almond paste and keep stirring constantly to prevent it from getting burnt at the bottom. 5. Add saffron strands and food colour while mixing it. 6. Keep adding ghee little by little (1 tsp at a time) and keep stirring. Note :- It is best to use a non stick pan to prevent sticking at the bottom. 7. When the mixture cooks, there can be lot of hot splatterings. 8. When the splattering reduces, it is an indication that the mixture is almost cooked. 9. Continue mixing until the halwa no longer sticks to the pan and ghee starts seperating out. (The perfect Halwa consistency!!!) 10. Garnish with fresh nuts and serve as such or top it with ice cream. (Another option is to spread the halwa in a flat tray when it is still hot. Refrigerate it for a while till it hardens a bit. Then cut in into square shapes and serve as badam cake/ badam katli.)