Easy Halwasan (Khambhati Gujarati Milk Fudge)
Soft, fudgy halwasan made the traditional Khambhati way with curdled milk, gond, coarse wheat flour, and caramelized sugar. A make-ahead Gujarati mithai for Diwali and festival mithai boxes.
Ingredients
For the Milk Base
- 500 ml full-fat milk
- 2 tbsp fresh dahi curd / yogurt; for curdling
- 1/4 cup ghee clarified butter
For the Body and Sweetness
- 1/4 cup coarse wheat flour coarsely ground whole wheat
- 1/4 cup gond edible acacia gum; lightly crushed
- 1/2 cup sugar for caramelizing
For Flavor and Garnish
- 1/2 tsp cardamom powder
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg powder jaiphal
- 1/4 cup chopped pistachios almonds, and watermelon seeds
Instructions
Roast the Gond and Wheat Flour
- Heat the ghee in a heavy pan on low. Add the crushed gond and fry for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring constantly, until each piece puffs up and turns light golden. Scoop out and set aside, keeping the leftover ghee in the pan.
- In the same ghee, add the coarse wheat flour and roast on low heat for 3 to 4 minutes until it turns light pink and smells nutty. Switch off and set aside.
Reduce and Curdle the Milk
- In a heavy-bottomed kadai, bring the milk to a gentle boil. Lower the heat and let it simmer for 8 to 10 minutes until it thickens slightly and reduces by about a third.
- Stir in the dahi a spoon at a time. The milk will start to split into soft curds and whey. Keep stirring on low heat for another 2 to 3 minutes so the curds stay tender, not rubbery.
Build the Halwasan Mixture
- Stir the roasted gond and toasted coarse wheat flour into the curdled milk. The mixture will look like a thick, shaggy porridge. Cook on low heat, stirring often, while you make the caramel.
Caramelize the Sugar
- In a small pan, melt the sugar on low heat without stirring. Once it starts to liquefy at the edges, swirl the pan gently. The moment the sugar turns a warm light amber (honey-colored, not maple-syrup brown), switch off the flame.
- Pour the warm caramel into the milk mixture in a slow stream while stirring continuously to prevent lumps. Cook on medium-low for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring often, until the mixture thickens, deepens in color, and starts pulling away from the sides of the pan.
Flavor and Shape the Pedas
- Stir in the cardamom and nutmeg powders along with most of the chopped nuts. Cook for 1 more minute.
- Transfer to a greased plate and let it cool for 30 to 40 minutes until warm but easy to handle.
- Grease your palms lightly with ghee, divide into 7 or 8 portions, and shape each into a thick peda. Press a few extra pistachios and watermelon seeds on top.
- Let the pedas firm up at room temperature before serving.
Notes
Use regular gond (acacia gum nuggets), not gond katira (tragacanth). Regular gond puffs up in ghee and gives halwasan its signature soft chew.
The pea-ball test for doneness - scoop a pea-sized bit and roll it between your fingers. If it holds a soft ball without sticking, switch off the flame.
Stop the caramel at warm light amber. Dark brown caramel turns the whole batch bitter.
Use a heavy, wide kadai. A thin pan will scorch the milk solids before the mixture reduces properly.
Shape the pedas while the mixture is warm, not hot. Hot mixture will burn your palms and slump out of shape.
Storage - airtight container at room temperature for 10 to 12 days, or refrigerated for 15 to 20 days. Bring fridge halwasan to room temperature for 15 minutes before serving so the texture softens back to fudgy.
Make-ahead Diwali tip - prepare 3 to 4 days in advance and add fresh garnish on top before plating for guests.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!