Tirunelveli Halwa Recipe / Godhumai Halwa Recipe with step by step pictures and a short YouTube video. Today, I am sharing the world-famous Iruttukadai Halwa, located in Tirunelveli, the Southernmost part of Tamilnadu. This halwa shop is located opposite to the Nellaiappar Temple, is said, no fancy lights are there, only a 40watts bulb is lit, so the name as ‘Iruttukadai’ which literally means ‘Dark Shop’. The shop opens at 5 pm and closes at 8 pm and I had the opportunity to stand in the queue, buy the halwa and taste it in front of the shop itself. I went to the shop both with my dad as a kid and with my hubby SM, before 15 years. Though no one can replicate the taste of the halwa sold in their shop, the recipe I have shared here comes very close, so here is my humble attempt. Please do not follow the shortcut method of soaking wheat flour, only whole or broken SAMBA WHEAT works for this halwa, even regular whole wheat changes the taste.
The recipe starts from soaking samba wheat, extracting wheat milk, fermenting, caramelizing the sugar which is the main! main! stage which lends the dark colour and the original taste to the halwa. Finally, sugar syrup and wheat milk are stirred continuously to get silky, melt in mouth halwa and I can bet it’s worth all your effort when you taste the halwa, hmmm! heavenly. Furthermore, if you like my video, please share it and don’t forget to SUBSCRIBE to my channel. If interested, check my 100+ Diwali Recipes and Deepavali Legiyam Recipe, which helps in digestion of oily foodstuffs had during Diwali.
Check my other Halwa Recipes like
- Badam / Almond Halwa
- Bombay Karachi / Cornflour Halwa
- Sooji Halwa
- Moong Dal Halwa
- Carrot Halwa
- Papaya Halwa
Iruttukadai Tirunelveli Halwa
Tirunelveli Halwa Recipe | Godhumai Halwa Recipe
Equipment
- Stovetop
Ingredients
- 1 Cup Samba Wheat
- 3 Cups Sugar
- 4¾ Cups Water
- 1 Cup Ghee Link for Homemade Gee
- ¼ Cup Cashew
Instructions
- Soak samba wheat (I used broken samba wheat) in water for 8 hours or overnight. Then rinse it well, drain the water and transfer it to a mixer. Grind it in batches, to a smooth paste by adding little water.
- Place a strainer, then pour the ground wheat and squeeze it well to extract wheat milk. Keep covered and undisturbed for 5 to 6 hours.
- For Caramelizing Sugar: To a pan, add 1/2 cup of sugar and 1/4 cup of water. Heat in medium flame, till the sugar, dissolves completely. Once bubbles appear, simmer the flame completely.
- Heat till the sugar is caramelized not crystallized. In another heavy-bottomed pan, add 2.5 cups of sugar and pour 1/2 cup of water. Heat in medium flame, till the sugar, is dissolved completely.
- Then add the caramelized sugar. Mix well and continue heating in medium flame, till 1 string consistency is reached.
- Watch my youtube video, to see the minute details. Take the wheat milk, discard the top thick layer formed, then pour 4 cups of water and mix well.
- Pour the wheat milk and keep stirring in medium flame for 25 to 30 minutes. Once the halwa thickens, add ghee in regular intervals.
- Add the fried cashews, remaining ghee and keep stirring for another 5 minutes. Now the halwa forms a mass and the ghee leaves the sides of the pan, you can see the change in halwa colour also. Don't cook furthermore, switch off the flame immediately.Do try this Tirunelveli Halwa Recipe for this Diwali festival.
Video
Notes
Tips for Godhumai Halwa Recipe
- Use Samba Wheat berries only to get the original taste of the Tirunelveli Halwa Recipe. Don't use regular wheat berries or wheat flour.
- Soaking the wheat for overnight helps in easy grinding. The ground wheat berries leaves some sticky milk on your hands, strainer and mixie jar, be prepared to clean it also.
- Always rest the extracted wheat milk for 5 to 6 hours, which gives a slight fermented smell and that adds a nice taste to the halwa.
- Also remove the top thick layer from the wheat milk and then use. Else there will be some sediment like particles in the halwa.
- Dilute the wheat milk with water (step:6) and then use. Otherwise, the halwa thickens very soon and smells raw too.
- Caramelizing the sugar, gives the dark colour and the authentic taste to the halwa.
- When caramelizing the sugar, do it in low flame and ensure not to burn it, else the whole halwa smells bad.
- Always add the wheat milk after 1 string consistency is reached.
- Use good quality ghee and don't compromise in ghee quantity as it is the key ingredient to get the perfect taste and texture in the halwa.
- Switch off the flame immediately after the halwa leaves the sides of the pan and forms a mass. Don't cook furthermore, as the halwa turns hard and chewy.
Tirunelveli Halwa Recipe
Method for Tirunelveli Halwa Recipe
1. Soak samba wheat (I used broken samba wheat) in water for 8 hours or overnight. Then rinse it well, drain the water and transfer it to a mixer. Grind it in batches, to a smooth paste by adding little water.
2. Place a strainer, then pour the ground wheat and squeeze it well to extract wheat milk. Keep covered and undisturbed for 5 to 6 hours.
3. For Caramelizing Sugar: To a pan, add 1/2 cup of sugar and 1/4 cup of water. Heat in medium flame, till the sugar, dissolves completely. Once bubbles appear, simmer the flame completely.
4. Heat till the sugar is caramelized not crystallized. In another heavy-bottomed pan, add 2.5 cups of sugar and pour 1/2 cup of water. Heat in medium flame, till the sugar, is dissolved completely.
5. Then add the caramelized sugar. Mix well and continue heating in medium flame, till 1 string consistency is reached.
6. Watch my Youtube video, to see the minute details. Take the wheat milk, discard the top thick layer formed, then pour 4 cups of water and mix well.
7. Pour the wheat milk and keep stirring in medium flame for 25 to 30 minutes. Once the halwa thickens, add ghee in regular intervals.
8. Keep stirring for another 10 minutes by adding ghee at regular intervals. By the meantime, add 1 tbsp of ghee and fry the cashews till golden colour.
9. Add the fried cashews, remaining ghee and keep stirring for another 5 minutes. Now the halwa forms a mass and the ghee leaves the sides of the pan, you can see the change in halwa colour also. Don’t cook furthermore, switch off the flame immediately.
Do try this Tirunelveli Halwa Recipe for this Diwali festival.
Godhumai Halwa Recipe
Welcome to my blog www.asmallbite.com. Thanks for reading my blog! I hope you’re enjoying my recipes to make the taste forever. I am Priya Santhamohan, writer and photographer (with hubby’s help) of this blog. 
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