Chikoo Ka Halwa …yes you read it right, the halwa made of brown potato look alike stone fruit, Chikoo, also known as sapota or sapodilla . The best part of living in the foothill of Himalayas is that every day our fruit basket is bestowed with bountiful of the local produce. From deep blood red cherries to sweet smelling apricots we have them all embellished in the trees around the vicinity, one such stone fruit is Chikoo.
It makes an appearance twice in the seasonal cycle, once during the summer and then sometime around winter. Neither of its seasonal emergence from the hibernation ever evoked a sense of glee in me. With its humble appearance, ordinary aroma and subtle flavour, this stone fruit never fascinated my taste buds. Even my mother’s several attempts to convince me about the salutary features of this particular stone fruit weren’t able to change my opinion until recently.
On one afternoon when the weather was staged for windy thunderstorm followed by heavy rainfall, a call from the neighbour’s man Friday wake me up from daydreaming. Stepping out of the bed in midst of the post-lunch nap is not part of my everyday routine. That day I made an exception to this catnap rule to pick Chikoo fallen from the tree in their backyard, laden in the mud and grass, waiting for somebody to take them home before the torrent of rain squash them up.
For next few days, very quietly Chikoo were sitting in the fridge underneath the summer starfruit, mangoes. Then while cleaning the attic, I spotted this recipe of Chikoo ka Halwa in a ragged magazine from 80’s, found in the stack of scrap piled up from years to dispose of. It was tough not to strive for the creation of the halwa, post-reading such an unusual recipe and that too when there was no definite fate decided for the Chikoo’s sitting in the fridge.
Post rigorous stirring halwa exercise the end result is a bowl of caramelized fudge having taste notes similar to that of a dark melted chocolate. There is some magical grandmother trick in the recipe which turned plain flavour of Chikoo into a deliciously delectable dessert. The stone fruit transformed itself into a deep brown halwa of burnt sugar like savour still leaving behind the traces of its aroma and indigenous taste, igniting the spark of love in me for Chikoo . Here is the recipe of Chikoo ka Halwa
Ingredients
- ▢ 5 - 6 chikoo sapota
- ▢ 1 Cup khoya/mawa grated or crumbled
- ▢ 2 tablespoon ghee
- ▢ ⅓ Cup Sugar or to taste
- ▢ 3 - 4 green cardamom pods crushed
- ▢ 1 tablespoon pistachio slivers
- ▢ 1 tablespoon almond slivers
Instructions
- To prepare the Chikoo Halwa, first peel the chikoo. Remove the stone from the center of the fruits and cut the pulp into small pieces.
- In a mixer ( buy it here ) grind the chikoo pieces into smooth paste. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
- In a heavy bottomed skillet heat a tablespoon of ghee over medium heat. Add the crumbled mawa in the ghee and roast till it turns light pink in colour, stirring at regular intervals so that mawa does not stick to the bottom of the skillet. Once roasted transfer to a bowl and set aside.
- Now take it out in a bowl.
- Pour remaining 1 table spoon ghee into the same skillet and heat it well. Add the Chickoo paste and roast over medium heat until it gets thick in consistency and come together leaving the sides of the pan.
- Add sugar and crushed cardamom into this paste and cook till the sugar completely dissolves into the paste. Cook for 5 - 6 minutes more over medium heat, stirring continuously.
- Now add the roasted mawa in the chikoo paste and stir to combine. Keep on stirring the halwa and make sure that the halwa should not stick at the bottom of the pan. The halwa should come together and no lumps of mawa should remain in the halwa. Turn off the heat.
- Garnish Chikoo Halwa with almond and pistachio slivers.
- Serve Chikoo Halwa warm with a hot cup of tea for the evening teatime snack or for the dessert after an elaborate Indian main course meal.
Recipe Notes:
We follow a strict NO SPAM Policy
Chikoo Halwa Recipe
Ingredients
- 5 - 6 chikoo sapota
- 1 Cup khoya/mawa grated or crumbled
- 2 tablespoon ghee
- ⅓ Cup Sugar or to taste
- 3 - 4 green cardamom pods crushed
- 1 tablespoon pistachio slivers
- 1 tablespoon almond slivers
Instructions
- To prepare the Chikoo Halwa, first peel the chikoo. Remove the stone from the center of the fruits and cut the pulp into small pieces.
- In a mixer ( buy it here ) grind the chikoo pieces into smooth paste. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
- In a heavy bottomed skillet heat a tablespoon of ghee over medium heat. Add the crumbled mawa in the ghee and roast till it turns light pink in colour, stirring at regular intervals so that mawa does not stick to the bottom of the skillet. Once roasted transfer to a bowl and set aside.
- Now take it out in a bowl.
- Pour remaining 1 table spoon ghee into the same skillet and heat it well. Add the Chickoo paste and roast over medium heat until it gets thick in consistency and come together leaving the sides of the pan.
- Add sugar and crushed cardamom into this paste and cook till the sugar completely dissolves into the paste. Cook for 5 - 6 minutes more over medium heat, stirring continuously.
- Now add the roasted mawa in the chikoo paste and stir to combine. Keep on stirring the halwa and make sure that the halwa should not stick at the bottom of the pan. The halwa should come together and no lumps of mawa should remain in the halwa. Turn off the heat.
- Garnish Chikoo Halwa with almond and pistachio slivers.
- Serve Chikoo Halwa warm with a hot cup of tea for the evening teatime snack or for the dessert after an elaborate Indian main course meal.
Notes
Onion and Tomato Uttapam Recipe are soft, flavorsome savory South Indian style mini pancakes. These mini Onion and Tomato uttapam are modernistic and fun approach towards the conventional Utthapams or Utthapaa . The fluffy, pillowy Onion and Tomato Utthapam dipped in creamy coconut chutney is a flavorous breakfast menu.
There is a kind of unsolicited comfort in South Indian breakfast dishes, whether it is mouth melting idlis swimming in piping hot sambhar or fluffy Uttapams, all are equally inviting enough for the weekend breakfast. These breakfast items never grew in me, during our stay in Southern region they eventually became part of our eating routine. Even being novice to the South Indian Cuisine we have our taste preferences, our taste buds strictly look forward to Chettinad style of cooking. The Chettinad Cuisine is sought after for the bold flavor of spices with a hint of sweetness to it. The Chettinad Cuisine has made an unfading impression in our food memories which make us crave for dishes from the land of Chettiyars every now and then.
Tomato and Onion Uttapam can be prepared from the Idli-Dosa batter as well, which is a bona fide method of preparing these savoury pancakes. And then there is a cheat method to prepare Tomato and Onion Uttapam , quick and easily adaptable. In this conducive method, semolina is soaked with yoghurt to muster a smooth batter. To incorporate enough amount of air in the batter, it is advised to whisk it for 5 – 10 minutes using the electric hand blender. And the end result is soft, lightweight, fine shaped Onion and Tomato Utthapam .
When it comes to the topping combination for Uttapam, we favour an old fashion one, plenty of onion, tomato and aromatic curry leaves. When carrots are in season, the addition of grated carrots makes Uttapam topping way more delectable. These mini Onion and tomato Utthapam are a great fit for packed lunches. Also, Onion and Tomato Uttapam can enhance the beauty of your high tea party table with their vibrant and inviting colours. =
Here is the quick and gluten-free recipe of how to make Tomato and Onion, Utthapam :
Ingredients
Ingredients for the batter
- ▢ 1 Cup Semolina/Rava/Sooji
- ▢ 1 Cup yogurt at room temperature
- ▢ 1 teaspoon ginger and green chili paste
- ▢ Salt to taste
Ingredients for the Uttapam
- ▢ 1 large size onion chopped
- ▢ 1 large size tomato fine chopped
- ▢ 5 - 6 curry leaves chopped
- ▢ Salt and black pepper to taste
- ▢ Ghee/Oil for cooking uttapam
Instructions
- To prepare the batter for the uttapam, in a bowl mix together semolina, curd, ginger paste and salt. Stir to combine. Add little water to form smooth lump free batter of dropping consistency.
- Whisk batter for 5 - 10 minutes using either hand blender or wire whisk.
- After 20 - 30 minutes, if the batter is too thick, you can add more water to bring it to spreading dosa like consistency.
- Mix together chopped onion, tomato, curry leaves in a bowl and set aside.
- Heat a non stick griddle or uttapam pan ( buy it here ) over medium heat. Pour one small ladle of uthappam batter, do not spread it out much like dosa. Uttapam is bit thick.
- Pour a teaspoon of oil/ghee from the sides of the uttapam.
- Sprinkle a tablespoon of chopped onion mixture over the uttapam along with salt, pepper, chaat masala or idli podi.
- Flip the uthapam when cooked from the base.
- When the uthappams are crisp and cooked on both sides, they are ready to be served.
- Serve Onion and Tomato Uttapam with coconut chutney or tomato chutney.
Recipe Notes:
We follow a strict NO SPAM Policy
