Halwa – A confectionary that could not sound more Indian than any other sweet. That being said, Halwa or Halva was injected in Indian festivals and cuisines by the Arabs and Persian that invades years ago. – well, it does not sound very Indian anymore now, does it? – Nevertheless, we have made it more Indian than what it was before.

A Page from History

The original Halwa sweet was brought by Persian invaders in India, from which it took its roots to the Halwa that we have. The very old recipe of Halwa dates back to early 13th century in Arabic in the books of dishes. 

Birds of the same feathers

The varieties of Halwa could be numbered down to the n flavors available in the world, but the main ingredients of the dish remain unchanged boiling it down to only 2 kinds – one with flour and other with butter nuts. Flour Halwa in Indian is more northern than it could be of the south. Suji ka Halwa could be one of the most authentic of North Indian Halwa out there, sharing the lime light with Mohan Thal and Moong Dal (In this case the main ingredient is replaced either of the base ingredients; thal or moong dal) Halwa – these are the vegetable based halwa and can go on with carrot, pumpkin and more, as served at Rasoi Ghar. Whereas, the fruit based Halwas are made with flour and adding the respective flavors or fruits. 

The down south of India, the Halwa or aluwa is translucent based, Nut butter Halwa. This is chewy and rubbery and can last for days together without and refrigeration. Also, the efforts and cost of consumable are less as compared to the later. 

 Best to have

In Tamil Nadu there is a street called Tirunelveli, which is known for its Tirunelveli Halwa, likewise, in Calcutta there is a placed called Mithai Theruvu – translating as Sweet Street. However, in the North any Halwai Dukan will have sweets and Flour based Halwa, if not check out our menu on Zomato in the sweet section.

The spiral saffron of sugary sweetness that we Indians call Jalebi has a long tailed history –  right from its origins of geographical birth to being what it is now, severed in India.

From the page of History

The divine translucent dessert has many names and its goes back to the ancient times of 10^th century or so. This was and is commonly served in Western Asia for the feast of epiphany (by Christians of course). Also According to the books of history, this was the food item that was severed during the period of Ramadan as a giveaway for the poor by the Muslims in the Middle East.  – No India so far – about 14^th century or so during the Common Era, some Persian invaders, got zulabiya (Jalebi was known as than) as a treat, story has it, it was severed that the palace to earn a favor.

Other family members

Jalebi and even its cousins comes on to the plate in almost the same way, however, in terms of sweetness Jalebi demands and commands the crown. As a simple as deep frying Maida flour and dipping in sugary water – it does takes skills to make the spiral golden joy of happiness. Imarti and Chhena Jalebi are the variants and as I said earlier are considered as cousins of Jalebi.

Best place to have.

Ideally, the best place to have Jalebi would be in the streets of Gujarat and Delhi, However, if you are in Dubai and nostalgic about your home town or feel that no festive feast is complete without Jalebi than you can either walk in at Rasoi Ghar or call in to get it delivered at your door step.