Amaranth Halwa with Palm Jaggery – Farali Rajgira Sheera

Step-by-step

Recipe card

Sheera is a favourite comfort food from Maharashtrian cuisine. Enriched with homemade desi ghee, sweetened with palm jaggery and imbued with almonds, cashews and raisins for texture, this halwa is not only tasty but also super healthy.

This halwa is a perfect example to prove that healthy food can also be delicious. It cashes in on the immense popularity of the superfood par excellence – rajgira or amaranth. Rajgira is rich in protein, magnesium, calcium and vitamin C. Some benefits of amaranth are below.

• Helps in weight loss.
• Protects against cancer.
• Fights inflammation.
• Promotes bone health.
• Builds muscle strength.
• Aids in digestion.
• Promotes heart health.

Sheera is not only a popular sweet dish of Maharashtra and Gujarat, but it is also made in all the states of South India where it is called Kesari. Traditionally it is made with Sooji, but here we are using rajgira or amaranth flour. Also I am using Palm Jaggery instead of the regular white sugar, which boosts it’s health quotient and takes it to the next level.

1. Step-by-step

Bring half litre milk to a boil. Add the jaggery in it and simmer it slowly.

Fry the cashews and raisins till golden in the ghee. The raisins must bloom like balloons.

Remove the cashews and raisins and fry the chopped almonds in the same ghee.

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Once the almonds are golden, add the rajgira flour and fry on a low flame. It will start leaving a very nice aroma in about five minutes. Keep stirring constantly to make sure it doesn’t get burnt.

At this point add the jaggery milk. The flame must be very low and keep stirring constantly to avoid forming any lumps.

Cook it on a low to medium flame for five minutes till the halwa starts leaving the sides of the pan.

Add the cardamom and ginger powder. Ginger is completely optional and skip it if you don’t like it’s smell. I personally like it’s aroma in chai and some sweets.

Now garnish with the fried cashews and raisins.

Recipe card

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup Rajgira flour
• 1/4 cup Desi ghee
• 1 cup Milk
• 1/4 cup Palm jaggery
• 1/4 cup Almonds (chopped)
• 1/4 tsp Cardamom
• 1/4 tsp Dried ginger (optional)
• Cashews and raisins for garnish

Method

1. Bring half litre milk to a boil. Add the jaggery in it and simmer it slowly.
2. Fry the cashews and raisins till golden in the ghee.
3. Remove the cashews and raisins and fry the chopped almonds in the same ghee.
4. Once the almonds are golden, add the rajgira flour and fry on a low flame for five minutes till it starts emanating a nice aroma.
5. Add the jaggery milk while stirring constantly to avoid forming any lumps. Keep the flame very low.
6. Cook it on a low to medium flame for five minutes till the halwa starts leaving the sides of the pan.
7. Add the cardamom and ginger powder and mix well. Cook for just another minute.
8. Finally garnish with the fried cashews and raisins.

Serve the Rajgira halwa warm, it tastes absolutely heavenly. No one will ever complain about healthy dessert being boring in taste.