Thursday, December 16, 2010

Banana halwa (vazhaipazha halwa)

A chewy sweet resembling fudge prepared using ripe plantain (long banana/ yetham pazham/ Ethampazham / ethan pazham / nenthram pazham).
I tasted it for the first time (as a child) , when Sr. Janet Mary (whom we consider as a great guidance in our family) presented us a pack of Banana halwa from Kerala, then she told us that this is a famous sweet in Tuticorin also. Then it became our favorite next to macaroons of Tuticorin. One can buy this  in  bakeries of Tuticorin (Thoothukudi), Tamilnadu, India. It will be sold as a circular shape piece of nearly 5 inch dia and 1 cm thickness. The proper color should be more darker than what I got. If you want to get that color add more ghee while making this halwa. I used 1/4 cup butter only, but 1 cup will be good for the authentic taste.
After that mom tried to make it  once or twice at home but I am not sure of the recipe. So I referred Mahanandi's Nenthram pazham halwa. It came out well. Thank you dear!  (I have made some variations for my convenience, so click the above link to see her beautiful snap and the original recipe).


Ingredients:
Ripe plantain (long version) - 4
(pureed to 2.5 cups)
sugar - 1 cup
butter - 1/4 cup (1/2 of a bar)
lemon juice - 1 tsp
All purpose flour / maida - 1 tbsp
water - 2 tbsp
chopped almond or cucumber seeds or cashew - a handful

Method:
Steam cook the banana. Peel the skin and remove the seeds. Puree it.
Take a thick bottomed wok, large enough to stir the halwa.
Pour the puree to the wok. Add the sugar, butter, lemon juice and mix well.
Start heating. After sometime the banana will start bubbling, then reduce the heat and stir in medium fire.
After the halwa starts leaving the sides, say in 10 minutes, mix the maida with water and pour over the halwa. This step is optional only. we can do the halwa without maida also.
Then stir continuously for another 10 minutes or till halwa starts becoming thick and tend to form a ball. Now add the nuts and stir well. Put off fire.
Grease a container (lesser height but wide) with a drop of ghee and pour the mixture.
Spread a little ghee on top to prevent drying.
Using a spoon or knife flatten it to get a glossy surface.
Allow it to cool. After cooling the halwa will become more thick and easy to slice.
Slice and serve as dessert.

Banana halwa is ready!

Serving suggestion:
If prepared with more ghee (enough to ooze out), this sweet will remain good in room temperature for more than a week.
Serve hot/cold as dessert or snack.

25 comments:

Priya Suresh said...

Glossy halwa looks fabulous..yummy!!

Subhie Arun said...

wow...lovely....have neva tried this before.....looks yummy...will get try this soon!

sathya said...

Wow halwa looks delicious, an interesting one !

Nithu Bala said...

Delicious:-)

divya said...

Wow...looks awesome and delicious...

aipi said...

What a beautiful texture..looks so very delicious dear!

US Masala

Swathi said...

Banana halwa looks delicious. I love them. I make more often. this is awesome.

Unknown said...

Hey Vikki,

Beautifuuly made...i made it recently...i didnt halve them in to squares...no patience for that...Just clicked it and ate it all!!:)

Dr.Sameena@

http://www.myeasytocookrecipes.blogspot.com

புவனேஸ்வரி ராமநாதன் said...

Lovely Halwa. Superb.

Shama Nagarajan said...

that looks delicious

Chitra said...

Came out perfect as pieces. unique :)

Simplyfood said...

Never tried this before it looks wonderful and tasty.

Ila said...

Mouthwatering halwa :)

Suja Manoj said...

Oh dear looks so lovely..superb

Cham said...

Wow, never thought banana would be great for halwa, perfect piece!

MAGESH said...

looks yummy n delicious...nice step by step procedure.makes easy to follow...
Wish u Happy Christmas

Anu said...

Wow mouthwatering halwa... Yummy....

Sayantani Mahapatra Mudi said...

never had that but looks really great.

Unknown said...

Very tempting Viki!!

Hari Chandana P said...

I too make this recipe looks soo perfect and delicious.. Awesome job dear :)

பாரதசாரி said...

அருமை அருமை அருமை:-)
தமிழில் வீடியோவாகவும், ஆங்கிலத்தில் சப் டைடிலும் போட்டு லிங்க் கொடுத்தால் இன்னும் பயனுள்ளதாக இருக்கும் என்னை போன்ற சோம்பேரிகளுக்கு :-)

Jaleela Kamal said...

wow very yummy yummy halva

Jaleela Kamal said...

சின்ன குழந்தைகளுக்கு செய்து கொடுத்த ஞாபகம்,

Jaleela Kamal said...

happy christmas

Pavithra Elangovan said...

Wow the Halwa looks amazing.. Hey wish u and ur Family " Merry Christmas" dear. Just came to say christmas wishes to my surprise Saw this post which is now making me drool.

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