Being a native of Tirunelveli, I had an eye on this Tirunelveli halwa recipe made with Samba Godhumai (whole wheat), sugar and ghee for a long time. We love the most popular Iruttu kadai halwa and every time my thatha used to buy from there during our visit to TVL. For this Diwali, I thought I should make something that I never tried so far. At last my search ended up with this Tirunelveli Godhumai halwa. I referred a video tutorial (3 parts) and Creative Saga blog for the recipe, making a few tweaks of my own.
It was a huge success at home! The halwa looked glossy and tasted just like what we get in “”Iruttukadai””. Of course, it is very difficult to reproduce the exact taste at home because Nellai people say the unique taste of halwa comes from Thamirabarani river water and the original recipe is kept secret :). But trying this method brings the taste very close to the authentic “Iruttukadai” halwa. I am so happy with this recipe. Though it is a time-consuming process, it is completely worth the effort. Please go through the Notes section for some tips.
If you love traditional sweets, also check out my Tirunelveli halwa with wheat flour (a quick version) and my collection of 18 Indian halwa recipes for more festive inspiration.
Quick Notes for US & Abroad Kitchens
- Wheat Selection & Straining: Whole wheat berries (Samba godhumai / hard red wheat) are easily found at Indian grocery stores like Patel Brothers, or at stores like Whole Foods and Bob’s Red Mill in the US. If using a high-powered blender like Vitamix or Ninja, grind the soaked wheat in 2 batches with enough water until completely smooth, then strain through a nut milk bag or layered cheesecloth for smooth, fiber-free wheat milk.
- Cookware & Heat Management: For glass-top or electric coil stoves, use a heavy-bottomed cast iron kadai or a thick non-stick pan to maintain gentle, even heat without scorching. Pure homemade ghee or grass-fed cow ghee gives the authentic traditional Iruttukadai aroma.
Tirunelveli Halwa / Godhumai Halwa (Iruttukadai Halwa)
Ingredients
Main Ingredients
- 1 cup Whole Wheat / Samba godhumai (whole wheat berries / approx. 200 g / 7 oz)
- 2 ½ – 3 cups Sugar (approx. 500 g – 600 g / 1.1 – 1.3 lbs)
- 2 cups Ghee (clarified butter / approx. 400 g / 14 oz)
- 15 nos Roasted cashews (halved / approx. 30 g / 1 oz)
- 6 cups Water (plus extra for grinding)
- few drops Food color (orange-red / optional)
Instructions
- Soak the whole wheat berries overnight or for 8 hours in plenty of water.
- Drain the water completely. Grind the soaked wheat in a wet grinder or heavy-duty mixer to make a smooth paste, adding water gradually as needed.
- Filter the ground wheat paste through a fine muslin cloth or strainer 2 to 3 times to extract clean, smooth white wheat milk.
- Pour the extracted milk into a wide bowl, cover and let it sit undisturbed to ferment for 10 hours.
- The next day, a clear layer of water will separate on top. Without disturbing the thick sediment at the bottom, gently discard the top water layer. You will get approximately 1 1/2 cups of thick fermented wheat milk.
- In a deep, heavy-bottomed kadai or pan, add the thick wheat milk, 6 cups of water and 2 cups of sugar. Stir well until the sugar dissolves completely. Check for taste and add 1/2 cup more if needed. Reserve 1/2 cup of sugar for caramalisation.
- Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat. Continue cooking for 50 minutes to 1 hour, stirring every 3 minutes to prevent the mixture from sticking or burning at the bottom. You can partially cover the pan.
- In the mean time, take 1/2 cup of sugar in a pan and melt the sugar in medium heat without adding water. Melt the sugar and keep mixing till it caramalize and becomes golden brown in color. Keep the flame low to medium and make the caramel otherwise sugar will burn and spoils the taste of the sweet.
- Once the mixture thickens, add the caramalized sugar and mxi well. Halwa starts leaving the sides of the pan and turns glossy, add the roasted cashews. Halwa will get the natural brown color once you add the caramalised sugar.
- Start adding ghee 2 tablespoons at a time, stirring continuously. The halwa will absorb the ghee and become slightly heavy to stir; keep adding ghee in small batches and stirring.
- Continue until the halwa starts releasing/oozing the ghee back out and effortlessly rotates with the ladle. Stop adding ghee and collect the excess oozed-out ghee into a separate bowl.
- Turn off the flame and let the halwa rest in the pan to thicken further as it cools. Store in an airtight container once cool, or reheat in the microwave and enjoy warm! You can also reheat it in a kadai and ghee will ooze out everytime you reheat it. You can collect the ghee and serve the halwa warm. Tastes the best.
- It stays good for one week when refrigerated. You can use the collected ghee to make another sweet or use in your regular cooking.
Notes
- The traditional procedure is to make a sugar syrup of one-thread consistency before adding the wheat milk to quicken cooking. Adding sugar directly to the wheat milk and boiling gives an authentic, chewy Iruttukadai texture.
- Add the ghee gradually in small batches and stir until the halwa stops absorbing and starts releasing the ghee back. Sweet lovers can add the full 3 cups of sugar. I used 2.5 cups.
- Instead of using 2 cups of ghee, half of the ghee can be replaced with Dalda / Vanaspati if desired, though pure ghee gives the best flavor and aroma.
- Save the collected excess ghee to use for making other Indian sweets or everyday cooking.
- The halwa should slide smoothly off a spoon when lifted. Be careful not to overcook once the ghee separates, otherwise it will become too hard.
- Yield: This recipe yields approximately 3/4 kg (1.6 lbs) of glossy Tirunelveli halwa.
- Total cooking time is around 1 hour 15 minutes.
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Delicious Tirunelveli halwa is ready to enjoy!! Take care, catch you all in my next post :)
wow!!superb chitra…delicious and yummy halwa….perfect for the festival!
looks truly awesome! wow, i 'm inspired to try this out! lovely recipe
Superb n so tempting chitra.
I love the teasing tempting texture it adorns…. Looks perfect to quench my thirst to some sweet treat now…. ;P Slurpee!!!!!
Ash…
(http://asha-oceanichope.blogspot.com/)
Thanks rekha, priya & kurunji :)
Hey,
Halwa looks very tempting…Tirunelvelike halwa va..Iam reminded of that famous punch dialogue…:)
Dr.Sameena@
http://www.myeasytocookrecipes.blogspot.com
The texture and the colour of the halwa is tempting me a lot Chitra! Keep Rocking!!!
That is very nice recipe for Diwali! looks nice.I love the Halwa but no idea what is wheat berry??!!!
where do we get them?
Woww… Mouth watering recipe.. looks awesome dear.. thanks for sharing !!
ஆஹா…சித்ரா…ரொம்ப சூப்பராக இருக்கு…ஓவ்வொன்றையும் மிகவும் கவனமாக படித்தேன் அப்ப தானே செய்யும் பொழுது சூப்பராக இருக்கும்….
எனக்காக இதனை Cup/ கப் அளவில் கொடுங்களேன்……இன்றே போய் வாங்கி கொண்டு வர வேண்டியது தான்…Wheat berries என்றால் முழு கோதுமை தானே….
Thanks all. @ Sharmi , wheat berry is nothing but the whole wheat.
@ammu , thanks.wheat berry is whole wheat only. Will update the post with cup measurements tomorrow :)
Love Tirunelveli halwa and that too hot and fresh from iruttu kadai. Never miss them on our visits. Looks very tempting Chitra. Has come out super. My grandma too makes same like these.
My fav halwa…looks yummy
super recipe and super picture…the use of wheat makes it a healthy version….
bookmarking the recipe!!
yummy n mouthwatering halwa..
Tirunelveli halwa looks delicious. I have seen the that episode of Flavors of India by Lakshmi nair. I like it. Anyway thanks for corrected halwa recipe to make at home.
Hi,
The minute I read the title I was singing the Samy movie song. The halwa looks so amazing. My husband just finished the halwa I made for Deepavali. Feel like having some after looking at this post.
never had this but looks so so good. well made dear.
Miss the iruttu kadai halwa, glossy halwa looks fabulous and tempting..
yummy n perfect looking halwa.. Just by reading the word iruttu kadai.. I got reminded of those rich n flavorful halwa I used to njy.. :)
wow, nice looking halwa, It's my H's favourite, he always bought loads of it whenever he went or somebody visited us!, I never knew it was made from wheat, I make a sweet out of wheat milk, as I am not fond of sweets, I don't make sweets often but I will try this out for my H's sake. thanks for sharing
mouthwatring halwa…..my favorite……
Yummy looking sweet!!
i have tasted this in a friend's place.homemade halwa always gives a yummy and unique taste. great attempt. Hope ur family enjoyed a lot.
Chitra, diwalikku ellarukkum alwa kuduthuteengallae:)(LOL)
Wow,looks so glossy and yummy! Great effort,I second Jeyashri,ipdi thirunelveli halwa kudhuthuteenga :)
Lovely and yummy recipe…
Yummy Halwa… Thanks for stopping by my blog.
wow chitra, halwa looks amazing, thanks for stoppping by my blog
Looks amazing
Pls collect ur award from my blog!
http://kurinjikathambam.blogspot.com/2010/11/versatile-blogger-award-and-drumstick.html
halwa looks yummy! Worth of 11/4hour cooking time and all the hard work.Looks like iruttu kadai halwa!:P :P
Good job chithra!
drool worthy..i had this since long back..i wanna have a try..
http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=7007550494926552696&postID=2175754819498330663
How I lov irruttu kada halwa…. ooooo… well, the next best thing I can do is book mark this and make it as soon as I can… thanks a lot for dropping by my space…and I loved it here especially ur Kitchen Clinic…and ofcourse recipes too….
Halwa looks delicious and perfect Chithra.I too refered the same video and felt the amount of sugar is too high.
One suggestion.Instead of adding artificial color, we can melt the sugar in heated ghee and add to the halwa. This will give the original color of Thirunelveli Halwa
South Indian Home
Thanks everyone.. @ South indian home, thanks for the suggestion.Will do it as u said.. Yes , amount of sugar is too high in the video . But i've adjusted the ratio and given here.. :)
hi chitra,
one small doubt , i read a receipe where they cook the wheat milk and then add sugar ,and you have other way .do u have any idea why it is done and which way is better , i have soaked wheat berries for doing it tommorrow .if u could reply at earliest highly appreciated.bit confused.
regards
Meena
Hi meena , The method u mentioned takes less time to cook i feel. U can try it. My method takes nearly 1 hour. But while cooking the wheat , make sure it doesnt get burnt..Add a tbsp of ghee to avoid getting burnt. Hope this helps :) Do tell me how the halwa turned out :)
hi chitra
thanks for the reply.wishing you too a very happy diwali .the halwa turned out amazing ,i soaked 250gm of wheat , it took 1 hour totally.i was too elated and happy .
cheers
Meena
Wow, tats great meena :)