Serving: 3 – 3.5 quarts | Type: Sweets

Ingredients:

Halwa

Caramel

Method:

1. Soak the samba wheat overnight.
2. The next day, grind the wheat with water and strain the ground wheat.
3. Keep the liquid extract (wheat milk) and discard the wheat ground.
4. Keep the wheat milk extract in a cool place overnight.
5. The next morning the wheat milk will have segregated where there will be clear liquid on the top and thick milk that has settled to the bottom.
6. Carefully discard the clear liquid on the top and keep the milk in the bottom.
7. Then to the wheat milk add 8 cups of water and mix it well.
8. Heat a deep non-stick pan on medium heat and add the wheat milk mixture.
9. Heat the mixture for 10 minutes or until it thickens.
10. Then transfer the thicken mixture to a slow cooker.
11. Next add the sugar and salt and mix it well.
12. Allow to cook in high heat.
13. Meanwhile, in a non-stick pan heated to medium heat, add about 5 tbsp of sugar and 3 tbsp of ghee for making the caramel.
14. Mix it until sugar melts and become brown.
15. Then add this caramelized sugar to the mixture in the slow cooker.
16. Let the mixture cook and thicken up in the slow cooker for about 10-18 hours depending on the type of slow cooker.
17. Half way through the cooking, add half of the ghee.
18. When the halwa is all the way done, add rest of the ghee and mix it until it is very glossy.
19. To verify if the halwa is completely cooked, when you touch the halwa it should not stick to your hands.
20. Turn off the heat and serve it warm.

Note:

1. In traditional Irruttu Kadai Halwa there are no cashews or cardamom powder. However, if you really wanted it you can add it after step 17.
2. If you cannot find Samba whole wheat, you can add cracked wheat which is easily found in all Indian stores.
   1. For 1 cup of cracked wheat that you soak, you need to add 2 cups of water to the wheat milk.
3. If you have a slow cooker option in your rice cooker, it will probably cook the halwa much faster than traditional slow cooker/crock-pot. Therefore keep an eye on it.
4. If you want to place the halwa in the fridge, add a few drops of lemon juice after adding half of the ghee. This will help prevent the sugar from crystallizing after it has been refrigerated.