ANJEER HALWA/ FIG HALWA / ATTHI PAZHA HALWA

My FIL had brought home some fresh Figs from the fruit market.  As we are all sweet toothed, the first option that came to mind was to prepare Halwa. Making Halwa out of fresh Figs was a Eureka moment at home. It was my MIL's idea and the end result was great. I can even suggest this as an alternative to Kasi Halwa, Wheat Halwa and Kesari that always are routines in South Indian Wedding desserts.

Fig Halwa almost resembles Wheat Halwa in terms of consistency and glossy texture but still retains its unique flavour. The tiny speckles of seeds add to visual beauty !!  I am leaving the health aspects of figs for you to Google !!

Preparation Time : 10 min
Cooking Time: 15 min
Category: Sweet
Level: Easy
Cuisine : Indian
Serves : 6 -8
Nutritional Information

Nutrition Facts
Servings 8.0
Amount Per Serving
calories 299
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 9 g	14 %
Saturated Fat 5 g	24 %
Monounsaturated Fat 1 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0 g
Trans Fat 0 g
Cholesterol 19 mg	6 %
Sodium 5 mg	0 %
Potassium 311 mg	9 %
Total Carbohydrate 56 g	19 %
Dietary Fiber 4 g	15 %
Sugars 52 g
Protein 2 g	4 %
Vitamin A	4 %
Vitamin C	4 %
Calcium	5 %
Iron	4 %
* The Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet, so your values may change depending on your calorie needs. The values here may not be 100% accurate because the recipes have not been professionally evaluated nor have they been evaluated by the U.S. FDA.

INGREDIENTS

• 15-20 fresh Figs (big)
• 11/4 cup Sugar
• 1/4 cup grated unsweetened Khoa 
• 1/2 tsp cardamom powder
• 1/4 cup ghee/ 4 tbsp/ 2 oz 
• 8 -10 cashew nuts, halved

METHOD

• Wash the figs and remove the stalk. You can peel the skin if you prefer. I did not. Grind to a smooth paste. 
• Heat 1 tbsp ghee in a heavy bottomed pan and fry the cashew nuts until golden. Drain and set aside. Leave the ghee as such.
• To the same pan add Fig paste. Stir well and cook for few minutes. When it starts to bubble, add sugar. let it melt, blend and cook to condense. Add the grated Khoa.
• Add the remaining ghee in parts and continue to cook until the mixture turns into a uniform mass and does not stick to the vessel anymore. You should be able to swirl it easily with a spatula.
• Add the cardamom powder and cashew nuts and mix well. Turn off the heat and remove the pan from the burner.
• Allow the halwa to cool for a while. Serve warm.