Every Thursday and Friday , I perform Guru Pooja and Mahalakshmi Pooja at home. Usually I make Payasam/Kheer or sweet pongal for neivedyam/Prashad. As I am bored of making the same, I am trying out easy sweets recipes like burfi, halwa for every week pooja. Check out my earlier posts suji ka halwa, atta halwa, bread halwa and carrot halwa.
Last week Thursday, I prepared this beetroot halwa for the first time following my carrot halwa recipe using pressure cooker. As I did not have Khoya/mawa or condensed milk in hand, I just used milk and sugar. It came out really well. This halwa takes less ghee and sugar unlike other halwa recipes. Still it tasted rich, looked colorful and shiny. Sendhil & Raksha loved it a lot. I am sure kids would love to taste this halwa just by seeing its color.
Overall its a healthy and nice alternative from the carrot halwa/ Gajar halwa. But remember to add the right amount of ingredients mentioned in the recipe. Adding more sugar makes the halwa hard like burfi. Stirring the halwa for long time makes it chewy. This halwa thickens as it cools down. Keep these points in mind and start making it. You can make a perfect beetroot halwa !
Beetroot halwa stays good for a week when refrigerated. You can serve it chilled or reheat for few seconds in a microwave oven or a kadai with little ghee to serve it warm. It tastes really great when served warm with a scoop of ice cream. Now lets see how to make this yummy, easy, colorful , healthy, Indian dessert recipe –Beetroot halwa with step by step photos and a video !
Beetroot halwa recipe in a pressure cooker
How to make beetroot halwa in a pressure cooker just by using milk and sugar !
Cuisine: Indian
Category: Sweet
Serves:4
Prep time: 5 Minutes
Cook time: 20 Minutes
Total time: 25 Minutes
INGREDIENTS
- Grated beetroot - 3 cups
- Sugar - 3/4 cup ( Reduce 2 tbsp for less sweet)
- Ghee - 3 tbsp
- Boiled milk - 1. 5 cups
- Cashew nuts – 5 nos
- Cardamom powder - 1 tsp
HOW TO MAKE BEETROOT HALWA IN PRESSURE COOKER - METHOD
- Wash 2 big sized beetroot, slice the top and bottom portion and peel its skin using a peeler. Grate it using a big holed grater. If we use small holed grater, beetroot becomes mushy after cooking and resembles jam. So I always prefer big sized holes for grating. Measure it after grating and keep 3 cups ( loosely packed) aside !
- In a pressure cooker base, heat 1.5 tbsp of ghee. Add the grated beetroot and saute till its raw smell goes off completely & beetroot turns pale in color. It takes 7 to 10 minutes.
- Now add the boiled milk( at room temperature) and add a small pinch of salt. Addition of salt helps to enhance the sweetness of halwa. Mix well and pressure cook in very low flame for 3-4 whistles. It takes nearly 15 minutes. Open the cooker after the steam is released.
- Boil till 3/4th of the excess milk gets absorbed by the halwa.When the halwa starts to become thick, add sugar. Mix well till sugar melts. The mixture will become watery. Keep mixing in medium to high flame till the halwa starts to leaves the sides and bottom of cooker. Stay nearby and keep mixing else halwa may burn in the bottom. This process takes more than 20 minutes in medium flame.
- When the halwa becomes thick, glossy and leave the sides of cooker, reduce the flame to low and keep mixing for one minute. Halwa leaves the pan completely and gathers in the center. Switch off the flame and remove the cooker from the stove. It looks moist now. Let the halwa be in cooker for few minutes.In the mean time, roast the cashews.
- Heat the remaining 1.5 tbsp. ghee in a kadai and roast the cashew nuts till golden. Add it to the halwa in the cooker. Mix well and transfer the halwa to another bowl. Halwa looks slightly moist and sticky when hot. As it cools down, it becomes thick and set well. Original taste and sweetness of this halwa can be known only after it becomes warm. If you want more sweetness, heat halwa & sugar in a kadai and Consume after it becomes warm. You can even refrigerate the halwa for an hour to serve chilled !
- I like to have it warm with a scoop of ice cream! Tastes yummy !!!
Note
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This halwa stays good for one day without refrigeration.But it stays good for 3-4 days if stored in an air tight box in a refrigerator. Use clean spoon for handling !
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Reduce the quantity of sugar if the beetroot is too sweet. But do not add more sugar than the mentioned quantity. Halwa may become hard like a burfi after mixing.
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Mix the halwa till it becomes thick and leaves the sides of pan. It will thicken as it cools down.
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Adding cardamom powder helps to give a nice flavor. Do not avoid it.
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If you want to add condensed milk, reduce the quantity of sugar or skip it completely.
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You can add sugarless khoya at the end, mix well and remove the halwa. It makes the halwa more rich in taste !
Try this easy, yummy beetroot halwa for festivals and occasions. You will love it !
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