Coconut halwa with jaggery is a quick traditional South Indian sweet usually made during festivities like Navrathri, Diwali. The rich coconut flavor stands out in this recipe and well complimented with the earthy sweetness of jaggery.
This freshly grated coconut halwa takes only 15 minutes and very little ingredients, most of it you already have in your indian kitchen. Religious Indians usually have the practice of making a quick halwa or payasam as offering for early morning pooja or prayers and this one perfectly fits into that category. Panchamrutham another easy no cook sweet you should try.
Why you should try this recipe:
A traditional sweet called Tengai therattipaal was popular during yesteryears in Thanjavur side. It was mostly served during Seemantham (baby shower) or other auspicious occasions. In those days cooked coconut meat with its oil and jaggery together made a nutrient rich sweet.
- Taste : Rich coconut flavor with the earthy sweetness of jaggery
- Texture : Smooth creamy buttery yet slightly grainy texture.
- Time : Since freshly ground coconut is used it comes together in 15 minutes.
- Ease: Uses very few ingredients that are readily available in most Indian grocery stores.
The coconut jaggery combination forms the base for many traditional South Indian sweet recipes like ela ada, kozhukattai, payasams /prathamans etc.
Best coconut halwa recipe reminder:
- Use freshly grated coconut.
- Use coconut that is slightly mature that has less milk inside and more oils. This helps the halwa come together faster.
- Skip the brown part while scraping the coconut for finer texture of halwa.
- Use powdered jaggery for convenience. If using ball/cubes. Heat that in a pan adding 1/2 cup water once it melts allow to cool then proceed with the recipe. Adjust water accordingly while grinding.
- Cook on low heat the halwa cooks well and stir continuously for even finish without burning the bottom.
- Do not add more ghee than said in the recipe as coconut will start releasing oils once the halwa comes together.This can make the halwa very greasy.
- Use warm water to grind the mixture. This helps the coconut to grind evenly without its oils solidifying on the sides.
- Fry coconut bits separately as it takes longer to brown. Remove when light brown as it sits color will deepen a bit.
Ingredients list for making the best halwa with fresh coconut :
Note : Traditionally a tbsp of split mung bean/ green gram dal is dry roasted in an empty pan to a golden brown color and when it emits a nutty aroma its cooled and ground to a fine powder. This is added along with coconut jaggery mixture. The dal powder adds taste and volume to the halwa.
How to make coconut halva :
Remember to cook in low heat so the coconut gets a chance to brown evenly and release its oil for fantastic nutty flavor.
Constant stirring is necessary to attain an even brown color. The rice powder will clump and will not cook properly and give a raw taste if removed from heat too fast.
Other festive COCONUT sweet recipes to try :
Other delicious EASY sweets to try :
Milk Burfi (with milk powder) , Cashew burfi , Semolina pudding with saffron, Carrot halwa in Instant pot
SERVING AND STORAGE of coconut halwa :
Serve : Serve this coconut halwa as an after meal sweet instead of heavy puddings and pies. This Indian sweet meat serves as a portion controlled bite-sized individual sweet treat.
Make ahead : While fresh halwa tastes the best you could make a day in advance and leave it in air tight container on the counter in cold climate. In hotter weather ghee and coconut oil tends to get rancid fast.
Storage and left overs :FRESH IS BEST. If properly made the coconut mixture is roasted the halwa will sit for 2-3 days without spoilage. When in doubt store in airtight container and refrigerate to preserve freshness. During refrigeration make sure to keep in a spot where it is not too cold as the halwa can solidify and harden too much.
Coconut halwa
Ingredients
- 1 cup Coconut Freshly grated (tightly packed to 1 cup)
- 3/4 cup Jaggery Grated
- 1 Tbsp Rice powder
- 1 Tbsp Ghee
- 1 Tbsp Coconut pieces
- 5-8 Cashew nuts broken
- 1/2 - 1 tsp Cardamom powder
- 1/2 cup Water warm
Instructions
- Grind the grated coconut, adding rice powder and warm water to a fine paste. Add the jaggery powder and grind again.
- Heat a heavy bottom, preferably a nonstick pan. Add Ghee when it heats up at the coconut pieces and fry to a light brown color. Then add the cashew nut and fry to a golden brown color and remove both from heat.
- Into the same pan add the ground coconut jaggery mixture. Keep heat on low and constantly stir the mixture until it thickens and changes into a deep brown color. When this is 90% done add the cardamom powder and stir for some more time. And the fried coconut pieces and cashew nuts into the Halwa once more, and serve immediately.
Notes
Hope you will give this coconut halwa recipe for Diwali.
Meena
Karthik
So nice to see thengai thirattipaal here, Loving ur Deepawali series.
elephantsncoconuttrees
Thank you Karthik for your kind words.
Santhi
Meena, romba nalla iriku .,.pakumbothu sapidanum pole irukku!
elephantsncoconuttrees
Thank you Santhi.