Whole Wheat Flour Halwa

There are 'halwas' and then there are 'halwas'!

Be it the basic semolina halwa or the more glamorous Moong Dal halwa, it always makes its presence felt as a part of festivities and weddings, intertwined with celebrations big or small. Gajar halwa, gheea halwa, potao halwa, pumpkin halwa, green pea halwa the variety is endless.

The halwa that I'm going to elaborate upon today is whole wheat flour halwa. It is made out of coarse whole wheat flour, no it is neither 'dalia/broken wheat' nor is it 'Bulgar'. It is simply coarse ground whole wheat flour and is available in most of the desi stores here. (It is coarser in texture than semolina and smaller than broken wheat). No refined or bleached ingredients in this one ;-) .

This halwa needs no flavoring or garnishes whatsoever, I stand corrected, it should not be flavored or garnished with anything at all! The taste of wheat flour and jaggery is to be experienced to a sublime level. The combination of wheat and jaggery, two basic kitchen items mingle to bring out the best in each other, per moi! You cannot get any basic than this or any rustic than this! I just can't for the life of me understand how the combination of just three basic ingredients taste so good. I'm in love, with this halwa, can you tell?

I got inspired by my blog buddies who churn out so many kinds of pedas & ladoos, so I decided to mould this halwa in the shape of a modak.

Here comes the simple and delicious halwa.

3/4 cup Coarse ground whole wheat flour
3/4 cup jaggery (I like it mildly sweet, hence I use only 1/2 cup jaggery)
2.5 cups water
2-3 tbsp ghee
(just four ingredients, water being one of them! I know I had a hard time convincing myself that it really was true)

Roast wheat flour in ghee till light brownish on a slow to medium flame. The unmistakable aroma of roasted wheat flour is hard to miss, it permeates the kitchen and then onto other rooms as well, indulge in it.
Simultaneously heat water and jaggery till all the jaggery melts and water starts to boil.
Lower the flame of roasted flour and carefully add the strained jaggery water into it and stir well. Increase the flame and stir till water gets incorporated into the flour. This is a very quick process. Cover and leave it for a minute, switch off the flame.

Halwa is now ready to be relished as is or you can shape it into a peda/modak and delve into it.
This halwa has all the goodness of whole wheat and jaggery. For all it's simplicity it sure is an amazing sweet.