Beetroot Halwa

I can't remember when I had beetroot halwa... but in my mind I've always held a fascination for it and was sure that I'd prefer it over carrot halwa. I don't cook much with beets, except when making cutlets or some vegetable kurmas, or add to biryani... but I like quite a few preparations of this veggie. The last time I tried my hand at making this beetroot halwa, i added too much sugar and in an effort to get a thick halwa, overcooked it to the point that after 15 mins or so, the entire mixture had turned rock hard and stuck to the bowl to which i transferred it! No amount of poking and prodding could release it from the bowl and it was a total flop (taste & texture wise) to say the least. So, this time, i played with the proportions a bit and was more watchful of the sugar and the time it cooked so i could get the consistency right.... I just love the colour - ain't it pretty?

BEETROOT HALWA

Ingredients:
Beetroot - 1 big, peeled and grated (measured 2 cups total)
Sugar - 2/3 cups (depends on your sweet preference and the beetroot)
Milk - 2 cups
Cardamom Powder - a couple pinches
Ghee - 2 tbsp, divided

Method:
1) Heat 1 tbsp ghee in a heavy bottom pan and add the grated beetroot. Stir on medium flame for about 5-7 mins till beetroot is dry and softens a bit.

2) Add the milk at this point and once it begins to boil, reduce flame low-medium and allow to cook, stirring occasionally. This step is a time consuming process (took about 30 mins or more for me) but the good thing is that it doesn't require constant attention and there's no fear of the milk boiling over or the mixture getting stuck to the bottom. I just stirred it every now and then until most of the milk evaporated and the beets were cooked.

3) I had about a tbsp of milk left in the pan when I added the sugar. Stir this mixture until it thickens a bit - i was wary of it getting too thick and turning hard like the previous time i tried making this halwa so i didn't let it become very thick. Add the remaining tbsp of ghee and sprinkle cardamom powder. Stir until the mixture comes together and switch off the stove. Serve warm for a tasty, colorful treat.


Today is my thaatha's birthday so it's only fitting that I celebrate it with this tasty treat.

Comments

  1. The halwa looks super delicious :)

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  2. The beet halwa makes me hungry! It has been age i tasted this one!

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  3. Yummy! When i was a kid i used to have this with pooris! Heaven!

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  4. I like beetroot halwa. Nothing like some warm halwa with vanilla ice cream.:)

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  5. ive never had beet halwa before but that picture sure tempts me..lovely colour!

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  6. Lovely color of the halwa...Realy tempting..

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  7. Very interesting and curious. I have never tasted this before. Is it similar to carrot halwa?

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  8. That definitely is a lovely color .. I love beetroot halwa too & I guess this was the 1st sweet I made when I was in college .. Its actually been ages since had this

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  9. The only time I remember having them was during wedding ceremonies. Haven't made them myself so far. The red is just too good.

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  10. halwa looks tempting.nice colour.love to have with vanilla icecream

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  11. looks perfect and so delicious..

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  12. Beetroot halwa looks delicious..what a brilliant color!!

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  13. I hav tasted in my relative's place but hav not tried of my own,thanks for the recipe!!

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  14. I've only ever seen beetroot halwa in the blogs, never tasted it.

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  15. Wow that looks so ymm, i have neve rhad betroot halwa.

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  16. Looks awesome laavanya! I've heard about this recipe, but have never tried it.. That picture tells me how yummy its going to be.. Bookmarking..

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  17. Looks pretty and I am sure delicious. Beets are a favorite in our house, I am not sure why I have not ventured to do thi. Can the milk + beets be cooked in the pressure cooker and then the sugar added?

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  18. Wow..looks so delish..,its glazing..never tasted beet halwa,looks yumm

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  19. it looks so pretty and i can imagine the taste but till u actually send some over to taste, i will be fan of carrot halwa.:))

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  20. Thank you Gita & Cham.

    Divya - wow with pooris? would never have thought of combining the two.

    TBC, i've heard so much about the carrot halwa & ice cream combination but never tasted it before.

    Superchef - i loved the colour too and the taste was really good too.

    Thank you Pratibha.

    Red Chillies, it was quite a lot like carrot halwa and it had a fudgy, milky taste too. I used just 1 beetroot and it made a small quantity that was over in a day. My daughter liked it too and kept referring to it as the 'purple sweet'.

    Thank you Deesha, Anudivya, Jeyashri, Nags, Parita & Sowmya.

    Raks, you are welcome.. hope you get a chance to try it sometime.

    Sra, everytime i saw it on someone's blog, i'd remind myself to try it and finally did.

    Thank you Happy Cook.

    Thanks Sujatha, hope you get to try it sometime.

    Indo, sure that should definitely work but I haven't tried it myself since i've always had a problem of milk spraying out when i try to cook that in the pressure cooker (for payasam etc.)

    Thank you Vrinda.

    Mallugirl, i would love to parcel some your way. Thanks.

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  21. Beetroot is one of my favorite veggies. This recipe sounds like a winner. I have been meaning to try making halwa and this sounds like a good recipe to start with!

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  22. Yep, it sure is pretty :) Looks soooo tempting Laavanya! Yum! BTW, the cutlets link isn't working, check it!

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  23. yummy halwa.. this is the only dish i like among other beetroot dishes.

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  24. I've never had beet halwa, but I think I'd prefer this to carrot halwa too, lovely color! And a belated happy birthday to your thaatha!

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  25. Belated wishes to her..:)..look at that bright red..just yummmLavs..:)

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  26. Hi..this is harichandana.. i am a new blogger..
    halwa is my favvv..
    thanks for the sharing

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  27. This is a must try...looks soo yum yum!

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  28. Looks lovely Lavanya. Beautiful pictures.

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  29. The halwa looks finger licking:)

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  30. Unique combination of halwa, lovely color !

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  31. Laavanya,Beetroot halwa is lovely.Btw I followed your mango rice recipe.Everyone loved the flavour of the powdered masalas.

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  32. Gorgeous halwa, Laavanya! I made this, too, long back. It's delicious! Belated birthday wishes to your thatha. :)

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  33. Reminded me of my grandma...she made this once and we were pulling her leg (Dham laga ke aisa,zor laga ke aisa) - we were relating her beetroot halwa to the fevicol ad.Your reminded me of her.Looks wonderful,as you mentioned the right consistency is all that matters.Thanks for sharing this one...bookmarked!

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  34. Halwa looks awesome.. Nice recipe!

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  35. This halwa looks wickedly delicious and a very yummy one makes me want more!!!

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  36. The halwa looks so yummy! I have never tried beetroot halwa...love the colour.

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  37. Isn't that lovely colour? I just love beets colour...and halwa is very interesting

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  38. I've only had the carrot one, but this looks prettier. Very creative. I wonder what other veggies you could use, maybe sweet potato?

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  39. I tried your halwa yesterday and despite adding a little extra milk which made it look like kheer,the taste turned out to be so yummy.And I served the halwa oops kheer with strawberry icecream to my guests who had come yesterday and they all loved it.Especially my husband loved it a lot...Thanks to u for the recipe..

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  40. ok. so after lusting it for long i tried it today. It turned out delicious very much like a gajar ka halwa,but a little sweet for my preference.
    I can only dropin a vote of thanks for ur effort. There r many recipes floating on the internet but it was ur detailed instructions that proved most valuable.
    Cheers!

    Amber

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  41. Thank you Srivi.

    Crafted, thank you for your comments and for trying out this recipe.

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  42. Hi... I tried this... and the halwa came out really hard that i had to use a knife to cut it... but anyway the taste was good, so told my husband that it was beetroot burfi! ;)

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  43. looks yummy..planning to make this froma long tim e,,,

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  44. Surekha, I think you'll need to pull it out of the stove just a bit sooner since it gets thicker as it cools. But beetroot burfi sounds just as awesome :)

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