Cashew friut halwa

I read a unique recipe in a magazine. It was a sweet made using the fruit of the Cashew. Cashew fruit is available in plenty during summer and locally, is either eaten with a pich of salt or used to feed cattle. Naturally, a recipe with cashew fruit and jaggery grabbed my attention. Few days later, during a visit to a family friend Dr.Savitri Daitota (a practicing gynaecologist and obstertrician, hailing from a family of holistic healers and with a vast knowledge of herbs and folklore medicines) who stays near my maternal home, the topic of cashew burfi resurfaced and she excitedly remarked, ''Oh! Cashew halwa or cashew chocolate/burfi is the recipe of  Sudha teacher's mom. The thought of cashew burfi makes me want to eat some!''. I wanted to know if the 'Sudha teacher' she mentioned was the same 'Sudha teacher' living near our home in Mangalore. She said, 'yes, she is the one!'. It really is a small world I thought.

Dr. Savitri's recommendations made me curious and I definitely wanted to try the recipe, luckily the cashew tree at my mom's place was laden with ripe cashew fruit. So I picked a few fruit and took them to Mangalore to try to make some myself. But the problem was I didn't remember the exact recipe. I thought, since the recipe had only the fruit and jaggary, I just had to assess the proportions right. Finally the halwa was ready, but I could not cut it as mentioned by Dr. Savitri, it looked like a thick jam and tasted like the cashew fruit. The very same evening I visited our neighbour fondly known by all as 'Sudha teacher' to give her a sample of her mother's recipe. She looked at it, tasted, frowned, invited her expert sister to taste. Finally came the verdict. ''It is good, tastes almost similar but ... by the way did you cut off the ends of the fruit before cooking? Did you include the juice......''. Realising the mistakes in my method I tried the actual version of the recipe the next day.(That night I had to try the recipe of Nan khatai/ Benne biscuit which the sister fondly taught me. The recipe is already posted). 

You will need

Makes about 25 pieces

Cashew fruit about 6-8

Jaggary about 1 cup or more (equal to cashew puree)

Ghee or oil to grease the tray

Cashew nut (optional) 4-5 crushed to pieces

Method:

Twist the nut from the cashew fruit, wash the fruit with water.

Cashew fruit nut removed(L) with the nut(R)

Cut the two ends of the fruit with a knife.

Fruit with ends cut off

Cook in a pressure cooker about 3 whistles or till cooked and let cool.

Steamed cashew fruit

Blend the cooked fruit with the juice to a puree ( do not add extra water).

Take a heavy bottomed pan, measure the puree and add equal quantity of jaggary.

Cook in low flame with constant stirring. (Be ready to be attacked by a lot of splattering if you stop stirring)

Add crushed cashew nuts( optional) and mix well.

When the mixture thickens, forms a single mass and stops sticking to the pan, pour into a greased tray.

Ready to pour

Cut into pieces when warm, let cool to room temperature, store in an airtight container.

Note:

If you find it difficult to assess when to pour, roll a little bit of hot halwa between your index finger and thumb. If the halwa sticks to your finger, it is not ready. If it can be rolled into a smooth, neat ball then it is ready to pour.

If your halwa has turned soft (if you have poured into a tray before it has attained the right consistency) then you can cook the paste in the same pan for a little longer and then pour.

If the halwa is heated even after it is ready, it will turn hard when cooled to room temperature. To make it softer, cook the hard halwa with a little water and when it has reached the right consistency, pour.

This halwa/burfi stays good for up to 3 months or more in an air tight container (outside the refrigerator) and tastes best the day after it is prepared.

Beans sambar (step by step) Chilli tomato free

Amma is our inspiration for cooking healthy. Here is a healthy and tasty recipe of Sambar which is one of the first recipes I learnt from Amma. It is different from the normal Sambar as the recipe does not use green chilly/red chilly and tomato which is normally a part of any Sambar.

You will need:

Beans about 250 gm or more

1 cup of toor dhal or any lentil (preferably unpolished) washed, soaked overnight and washed  before use.

Water sufficient quantity

Salt to taste

Jaggary to taste

For the masala

1 tablespoon coriander seeds

1 teaspoon cumin seeds or Jeera

3-4 fenugreek seeds

1/4 tsp peppercorns 

a pinch of hing or Asafoetida

1 teaspoon tamarind pulp

Half a coconut grated or cut into small pieces

Seasoning

Musatrd seeds 1/4 tsp

Unrefined oil 1/2 tsp (I use coconut oil)

Turmeric 2-3 pinches

Curry leaves 5-6

Method

Wash beans and cut its ends. Cut each into 2-3 pieces (or to your liking)

Pressure cook soaked and washed toor dhal with beans and water (approximately double) up to 3 whistles.

In a small cast iron skillet, dry roast (low flame) the spices for masala. Add in the following order- pepper, fenugreek, cumin, coriander. Stir gently till the sweet aroma of toasted spices hits your nose. Now add a drop or two of coconut oil and a pinch of hing or asafoetida. Turn off the flame, stir well.

 Blend coconut, roasted spices, tamarind with a little water till you obtain a fine paste.

Take the cooked lentil and beans from the cooker, transfer into a bigger vessel add salt and jaggary to taste and bring to a boil. Turn down the flame and add the spice-coconut masala, mix well and  adjust taste

.It is time to turn off the flame when you see the Sambar begin to boil at the sides ( this is exactly what Amma showed me when I watched her cook). 

For seasoning heat oil in the skillet, add mustard seeds. when they pop, add curry leaf, turmeric powder, mix well.

 Add to the Sambar, stir well and serve hot with rice, chapati or bread.