Banana Halwa

Banana Halwa / Kele Halwa / Kele Halwo -  A delicious sweet in Indian cuisine !!

Makes: 1 small steel thali of 4 – inches in  diameter

Serves: 3 - 4

Ingredients

2 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon water

2 ripe Kerala Nenthrampazham (Ripe plantain), chopped into ¼ - inch cubes

1 teaspoon ghee

2  pinches cardamom powder

Extra 1 teaspoon ghee / butter (to grease steel thali / small tray / baking dish and for the  final stage)

Method

Grease a  steel thali  (a small steel thali of 4 – inches in diameter) with  ½ teaspoon ghee / butter. Keep it ready.

Heat a non stick pan on medium heat. Reduce the heat to low and add sugar and water. Gently stir well until it melts / smooth solution / there won’t be any sugar crystals.

Add chopped bananas and 1 teaspoon ghee. Stir continuously for 10 minutes until well combined . Switch off the heat and remove pan from the gas stove. Gently mash  banana mixture with the help of a masher (potato masher / pav bhaji masher) until it’s smooth and no lumps. Return to heat now and stir well for another 5 – 7  minutes until it  forms  a soft ball / leaves from the sides of the pan. Switch off the heat and sprinkle cardamom powder.

Pour this hawa into a greased steel thali and sprinkle remaining ½ teaspoon ghee on top the halwa. Gently  spread  the top portion of the halwa  evenly with a flat spatula. Cut it into desired shape and size and keep aside for half an hour.  Remove halwa from  the steel thali once it cools down completely. Serve as a sweet.