My 311th recipe, "Easy Beetroot Halwa (Vegan)", a super simple, delicious as well as an extremely healthy Indian dessert. If you have a guest to cook for in a very short notice, this beetroot halwa is one of the most easiest options available at your disposal.
While I was a kid, I used to hate beetroots. I would certainly not eat it when my mom made it into a spicy poriyal. She did not have any other option but to make a delicious sweet to entice me into eating. Halwa was always the most easiest dessert my mom made using beetroots. I will then not care about what went into the recipe, but just complete the whole bowl and even lick it clean 🙂
My mom usually makes 2 different versions of beetroot halwa. One version, which I already posted here, is loaded with ghee, milk and more condensed milk. The Ghee gives a nice flavor and aroma to the halwa. The milk reduces in quantity while cooking and adds a nice richness to the halwa along with the condensed milk. It is certainly one of my favorites as a kid. The other version, which I am posting today is 'Easy Beetroot Halwa', a quick one which cuts down on the ghee and milk, but equally tasty.
It is a long while since I made the second version of the beetroot halwa. Last week, while I was having lunch at a nearby Indian restaurant, they served the very same beetroot halwa for dessert. Having a taste of the halwa, brought back pleasant memories from the past. Also it started a sudden craving to have more halwa after coming back home.
So I have been eagerly waiting since last week for the right opportunity to cook this halwa. Today, when I opened the refrigerator for preparing lunch, I glimpsed at the beetroots sitting at a corner. I immediately convinced myself to make some beetroot halwa for an after lunch dessert.
Unlike the other beetroot halwa recipe, which takes a little time for the milk to reduce and the beetroot to come to a halwa consistency, this one is pretty quick and easy to make. The only real effort in making this halwa is grating the beetroots. While I always use a hand held grater, you can always make use of some machine power to get it done in a jiffy.
Once the beetroot is grated the only thing left to do is to cook, flavor it and enjoy. The real trick in this recipe is the use of corn starch. The corn starch adds a nice glossiness to the halwa and helps thicken the liquid. You would then end up with a very delicious tasting beetroot halwa without much of an effort 🙂
While the recipe is not made purposefully vegan, the added bonus is that the recipe is naturally vegan. Perfect for all those who hate the diary in form of ghee and milk. Also, it is comparatively lower in calories benefitting everyone 🙂
Easy Beetroot Halwa (Vegan)
Easy Beetroot Halwa (Vegan)
Ingredients
- 2 Beetroot (medium)
- tsp Oil
- Water - 1 ½ + ¼ Cups
- a small pinch Salt
- 2 tsp Corn starch
- ½ Cup Sugar
- ⅛ tsp Cardamom powder
- Chopped nuts - for garnish
Instructions
- First peel and grate the beetroot and keep aside. Heat the oil in a pan and add the grated beetroot. Saute nicely for about 2-3 mins.
- Now, add 1 ½ Cups of water, salt and mix well. Cook covered until the beetroot is almost done.
- Dissolve the corn starch in about ¼ Cup of water. Add the corn starch mixture to the pan. Mix well an cook for a further 1 min or so until the mixture turns glossy.
- Now, add the sugar and cardamom powder, mix well and cook for another 3 mins. Turn off the flame.
- Serve warm with a garnish of chopped/sliced nuts. I used sliced pistachios and almonds.
eyton shalom says
I used to get this at the vegetarian mess in the village of Kaanadukathan, near Karaikudi. Thing is, they used ghee, always. I think if you use oil and not ghee, something is missing. Normally there are two kinds of sweets in Indian cooking, milk sweets and ghee sweets.
Other thing, even though beetroot is an "English vegetable", as its being adapted to the Tamil taste, I would recommend Mindri Parapu , also know as Cadju or Cashew, as the choice of nut. It will taste the best, and the color and shape will contrast the red of the beet.
If you sautee the Cashew in ghee till brown, all the better, but you dont have to.
Other thing. About that corn starch. I understand your reasoning, and it pulls the dish closer to those wonderful halwahs I used to get in Pettah, in Colombo, Sri Lanka, made from wheat starch, ghee, cadju, sugar , and yellikai. But i would also say that the man who used to make this in Chettinadu, who was himself from Madurai, did not add starch. Not better, just different, and perhaps slightly more Satvik...
Thank you for your wonderful website and recipes....
revifood says
Thanks Eyton for stopping by. This is actually a simpler version of the Halwa. The traditional one is right here https://revisfoodography.com/2015/03/beetroot-halwa/