Wednesday, May 20, 2009

A Not-Too-Guilty Sugar Fix

Let me first just take a moment here, dear readers. I just saw Adam and Chris sing with QUEEN! Weeeeeeeeeee are the CHAMPIONS! What?!!!! I'm feeling giddy! Grinning like a lunatic! Does anyone else think that Adam sounds a lot like the late, great Freddie Mercury? Don't worry, I won't spoil the ending of American Idol for any of you who have Tivo-d it. All I'll say is this ... why is the first single that every Idol has to sing after they win, so lame?!

Back to the dramedy that is my life. DH is on vacation, which, up to now, involves a lot of staying up till the wee hours and waking up embarrassingly late. Also, for some reason that defies female logic, being on vacation for him also equates to not shaving his face. Even though he knows I find him irresistable clean shaven, when he's off from work he proudly struts his scruffy stubble. Ozzy is really happy to have DH home too - follows him all over the house, mewling like the adorable kitty that he is (mostly trying to emotionally blackmail DH into giving him more food, fat cat!). Good food for DH and I is a highlight of this vacation too, of course (but we don't really have to be on vacation for that!). It's always a challenge to find new desserts that suit both mine and DH's sweet tooth. But this new dessert recipe I tried hit the right spot for us both. Not only is it one of the most gorgeous things you'll see, but it also surprised me by being dayyum good, and it's also good for you in terms of nutrients. Intrigued dahlings?

Good. So let me present to you .... *drumroll* ...
Beetroot Halwa (original recipe by the multi-talented Ramya of The Cook's Collection - check out her blog for more inspiring nummies!)
Serves 3-4


Ingredients:
1 large beetroot (think big fist!), washed, peeled and grated
1.5 cups milk
3 cloves
3-4 green cardamom pods, bruised & split open
1/3 tin of sweetened condensed milk
3 tbsp ghee
3 tbsp cashew halves

Method:

1. Heat up 1 tbsp of the ghee on medium heat. Throw in the cashew halves and stir them around till they're golden brown. Then take them out and set aside.
2. Add the rest of the ghee in the same saucepan and heat on medium. Sprinkle in the cloves and cardamom pods. Follow this right away with the grated beetroot and stir about, making sure the ghee coats everything.
3. Pour in the milk and stir to incorporate. Bring to a simmer, then cover and cook for 30 mins, stirring occasionally.
4. After 30 mins, get ready for some consistent stirring! Turn the heat up to medium-high. By now the beetroot has softened almost all the way. Keep stirring so that the milk really gets incorporated/absorbed into the beetroot.

5. Add the condensed milk and keep stirring till the mixture is thickened and gloopy (it's a word, look it up in Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, thank you!), and starts leaving the sides of the pan. Sprinkle the golden cashews over the top and serve warm or at room temperature. DH has the devious plan to serve it with vanilla ice-cream!

Verdict: This dessert has such a pretty color, it's absurd! And you will love it. Even if you don't like beetroots. I mean it, because cooking it like this brings out its natural sweetness, tempered with fragrant cloves and cardamom; this makes for a stunning combination. And talk about easy! Look at that list of ingredients - I think it's the shortest one I've posted yet!
I'll be submitting this little beauty to this month's Sugar High Fridays event, where the theme is "Sweet Without The Wheat". It's hosted this time by Zilla from Climbin' The Walls.

And now ...
Will somebody please explain to me how on earth I'm supposed to leave this little baby and go away for a week?! How? HOW? *sob*

Off to Seattle tomorrow - see you on the other side, folks!

15 comments:

Anonymous said...

Gorgeous color and love the cashews on top!

Ann said...

Wow.. I love the color of the beets. Looks so yumm! Have you tried the same with Carrot? Thats yummy too.

Pooja said...

Wow the halwa looks tempting! Great colour!

Kerstin said...

That's one cool dessert!

My hubby is the exact same way about vacations - he doesn't like shaving either! I hope you have a great trip!

Unknown said...

I have left an award for you on my website called “One Lovely Blog Award” Its for cool and recently discovered websites. Hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Sweta (My Indian Dietitian) said...

I love beetroot halwa-my mom used to make it all the time!! Don't you just love that deep colour??:)
I heard the song for the first time when I was a kid during the finals of the World Cup cricket match-and loved it!! It's such a feel good song.

unconfidential cook said...

I love beets, cut have never had anything like this--never thought of beets for desert. V. interesting to say nothing of gorgeous!

Doppelganger said...

hahaha! I agree with you about the first song sung by Idol winners always being lame! I mean seriously, mountains and hurricanes? What was Cara DioGuardi thinking?! As for Adam, my hubby insists that when he hits the high notes, he reminds him of Axel Rose from Gun n' roses. And I must say, with this simple yet luxurious looking halwa recipe, you have outdone yourself! Gorgeous looking, and I'm sure it tastes amazing too.

Sweetie Pie said...

What an amazing color! I saw a beetroot ice cream the other day, and now this. Perhaps I need to try beets for dessert soon. Your recipe would be a great start!

NKP said...

What great colour! I haven't had halwa before, but I love beets and cardamom, sounds great!

Cheri said...

Wow! I would never have thought to put beets into a dessert. I must say I am intrigued!

Jana Toppe said...

Do you think this will work with pre-cooked, packaged beets as well? I just discovered some in my pantry; they're not pickled, just pre-cooked, and I am seriously dying for this halwa! :-)

Aruna Hussain said...

muneebs, u rock! :)
the last piture...eww i still hate cats and yours reminds me of the big fat one at karlslunde...!!

Muneeba said...

Good question Jana ... I have a sneaking suspicion that it may not be as good as with fresh beets, BUT since they're not pickled, therez no harm in experimenting with them. It's such a simple recipe, I say go for it & hope for the best! Technically, it should work out well.
Aruna, u will LOVE my Ozzy .. stop fighting it .. you know hez adorable ;) And I remember the big fat cat at Karlslunde .. cutie!!! ahaha

Ramya Kiran said...

Hi Muneeba, Thanks for trying out my recipe. Yours looks gorgeous! I just love this bright shiny color it produces at the end. Yum Yum!