Ragi Halwa
A rich, smooth dessert made by cooking ragi flour in ghee and sweetened milk until it reaches a halwa-like consistency. Garnished with fried cashews and raisins, this traditional sweet is often prepared as a naivedyam (offering) and is both delicious and nutritious.
Prep Time
5 min
Cook Time
20 min
Servings
4
Difficulty
Easy
Ingredients
- Ragi (finger millet) flour — 1/2 cup (60 g)
- Milk — 1 cup
- Water — 1/2 cup
- Ghee — 3 tablespoons
- Sugar or jaggery — 1/2 cup (100 g)
- Cardamom powder — 1/4 teaspoon
- Cashews — 8-10
- Raisins — 1 tablespoon
Instructions
- 1
In a bowl, mix the ragi flour with water to form a smooth, lump-free paste. Set aside.
- 2
Heat 1 tablespoon of ghee in a heavy-bottomed pan. Fry cashews until golden and raisins until puffed. Remove and set aside.
- 3
In the same pan, add the remaining 2 tablespoons of ghee. Pour in the ragi paste and cook on low-medium heat, stirring continuously for 4-5 minutes until the raw smell disappears and the mixture darkens.
- 4
Warm the milk separately. Slowly add the warm milk to the ragi mixture, stirring vigorously to avoid lumps.
- 5
Add sugar or jaggery and continue cooking on low heat, stirring constantly, for 8-10 minutes until the halwa thickens and starts to leave the sides of the pan.
- 6
Add cardamom powder, fried cashews, and raisins. Mix well.
- 7
Serve warm in small bowls. The halwa firms up as it cools.
Tips
- •Continuous stirring is essential to prevent lumps and to stop the halwa from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
- •Always add warm milk to the cooked ragi paste, not cold. Cold milk can cause the mixture to seize and form lumps.
- •For a richer halwa, increase the ghee to 4 tablespoons. The more ghee, the smoother and glossier the halwa.