Saib Ka Halva (Apple Halva)

Grated golden apples cooked with sugar and ghee, garnished with nuts and raisins.

Ingredients:

• 5-6 golden apples
• ½ cup ghee (clarified butter)
• 1 cup sugar (modify according to taste)
• Almonds slivered
• Cashew nuts chopped
• 2 green cardamoms
• 1 tsp cardamom powder
• ½ tsp Kewra essence or Rose water

Method:

• Peel off and grate the apples.
• Heat ghee in heavy based pan and add seeds of green cardamoms. Fry for a few seconds.
• Add grated apples and fry on medium heat for 5-7 minutes, stirring all the time, until almost tender and ghee leaves the side of the pan.
• Add sugar and cardamom powder. You should stir the mixture frequently to prevent any sticking. Fry for 10-15 minutes until nearly all the water has evaporated.
• Heat 2-3 tbsp ghee in a small pan and fry nuts in it. Add this to apple halva. This gives glazing and flavor to halva.
• Remove from fire and mix in the Kewra essence or rose water.
• Garnish with almonds and cashew nuts. Serve hot.

Do You Know:
Apples contain strong antioxidants making the blood less sticky and less likely to clot helping to reduce blood pressure.
They are also believed to be a great source of flavonoids. They contain high amounts of Vitamin C, which is reported to help strengthen the immune system.Their pectin content may help lower cholesterol levels and treat diarrhea.
They feature chlorogenic acid, which may help fight against cancer.
Eating apples is said to be useful for people on weight loss programmes, as they have a lower glycemic index than other fruits.