BREAD HALWA

   This Bread Halwa falls into the category of luxury sweets.  This rich, delicious tasty sweet preparation is famous in India. Until the 90’s this preparation is not known to many. But now every party or function or marriage or get together has bread halwa in its menu. I use the fresh bread in preparing this dish. The ghee fried bread pieces are cooked with whole milk and khoya , ghee is generously added along with a large amount of dry fruits to give the dish number one rank. Try out this recipe and surprise your loved ones.
INGREDIENTS

• White Bread slices                          6
• Sugar                                              1 cup
• Milk                                                1+1/2 cup
• Ghee                                              1/4 cup
• Dry fruits                                        3 Tsp
• Cardamom powder                         1/2 tsp
• Khoya                                             1/4 cup(optional)

PROCEDURE
Remove the brown edges from the white bread. Cut them into small pieces. Heat a thick bottomed pan and add a 2 table spoons of ghee. When ghee is heated add the dry fruits and fry them. Remove them and keep aside. In the same ghee add the bread pieces.  Fry the bread pieces on a very slow flame till the raw flavor is removed and the bread turns golden brown. Now add the milk. Cook the bread in milk on a medium flame by stirring continuously.
When the bread completely absorbs the milk and turns into a thick lump add the sugar. Keep on stirring till every thing becomes thick. Add the khoya and the remaining ghee. Keeping the flame on the medium keep stirring until the halwa leaves the edges of the pan and ghee oozes out of the halwa. Now add the ghee fried nuts and the cardamom powder. Stir the halve on a high flame for about 1/2 minute and remove it into a serving dish. Serve hot.

Bread Halwa

TIPS

• Add more of the whole milk and you can skip the khoya.
• Khoya can also be replaced with cashew nut powder.
• If milk is used in large quantity, ghee can be reduced as the milk reduces to khoya  and that itself enhances the taste.
• Generally I use fresh bread. A couple of days old bread can also be used.