Badam Halwa
Mughal/Persian influenced halwas in the Subcontinent are even richer and more innovative. From those made with various dals(moong and chana lentils) to those made with vegetables (carrots, bottlegourd) to even more exotic ones made with just nuts (Badam ka Halwa with almond paste), these are rich, full-of-gheefudges cooked to perfection in milk.
Badam ka Halwa, of course, is the quintessential rich man's/ruler's dessert. The expensive ingredient is cooked, almost simply (which makes sense if you are using a premium ingredient) and not really tampered with too much, even in terms of adding essence, perfumery et al. Fittingly, thin silver varq (or gold) was all it needed to be a "niyamat" (elusive delicacy).
The dal-based halwas, similarly, play upon their single, dominant ingredient and the whole recipe depends upon the fact of cooking the lentil paste well enough in ghee until aromatic. Simple dexterity; no complicated ingredients. Because of the copious amounts of ghee and heavier grain, these halwas are obviously winter delicacies.
Vegetable-based halwas, similarly, are a Subcontinent invention- developed most probably at the zenith of the Mughal culture and cooking. From lauki and kashi halwa (made with bottle gourd and ash gourd), cooked in milk and then set onthalis to halwa made from even bitter veggies such as bitter gourd (defeats the purpose of the veggie, in my opinion), these were clearly innovations meant for upper class banquets till their popularity made these quasi home dishes.
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