No ghee, No Sugar, Nutrient-packed Black Rice Halwa | Kavuni Arisi Halwa | Dodol Halwa or Dholdhol recipe | Diwali Special
Black Rice Halwa is a mouth-melting dessert which would be prepared by constantly stirring the black rice paste in the coconut milk. As a health twist, I add Palm Jaggery as the sweetener and I was wondered that it paired very well with the Black Rice yielding a drool-worthy and health-packed Halwa.
Dodol or Dhol Dhol is the term that is commonly used in Anglo-Indian cuisine to denote this jelly kind of dessert which is prepared for Christmas. Though the time and effort needed for the recipe are pretty long, it is worth trying this recipe because of the melt-in-the-mouth feel and the extraordinary taste of the Black Rice Halwa.
Not only the Black Rice Halwa is tasty, but also it is highly nutrient-packed taking goodness from the awesome star ingredients Black Rice, Coconut milk and Palm Jaggery. Usually, White Sugar is used in the recipe which sometimes would be replaced by Jaggery. Using Palm Jaggery as a sweetener is a rare thing in the recipe, but that truly pairs well with the Black Rice making it a Health-Rich and Taste-Rich dessert to enjoy.
Black Rice is called the Forbidden Rice in China for the reason that it was only available to the royalty denying its reach to common people. Now, many varieties of Black Rice are available in the market and the variety which we use for this recipe should be glutinous or sticky Black Rice variety to make a perfectly non-sticky and drool-worthy halwa.
'Kavuni Arisi' is what we call that Unique, nutty flavoured, chewy Black rice in Tamil. Though many Black Rice based recipes can be found in myriad cuisines around the world, this Black Rice Halwa recipe outstands with a unique and mind-blowing taste.
Some lavish sprinkle of ghee truly adds richness to this Halwa which I substitute in my recipe with Coconut oil for the unbelievably delicious coconutty feel. I love this slippery Black Rice Halwa with the coconutty feel heavenly coming from the coconut milk and coconut oil. And no issues if you choose to go with Ghee.
Know the goodness of Black Rice (or Forbidden Rice):
- Great detoxifier.
- Promotes Hair growth and Heart Health.
- Helps control Blood sugar level.
- Great Immunity-boosting, Nutritious food.
- Rich in Protein and Iron than Brown Rice.
- Rich in fibre content that helps alleviate constipation.
If the right quantity of ghee or oil is added, it is just the glossiness that should be seen leaving no extra ghee or oil to seep out of the Halwa. So, it's time to discuss the 'dos and don'ts' and obviously, the right ingredients and the right amount of ingredients to make a perfect Black Rice Halwa.
Can I use Black rice flour instead of Black Rice?
- Yes, you can! Instead of grinding black rice, just mix black rice flour in the coconut milk without lumps and keep stirring over the flame adding coconut oil in intervals.
- But, for the best results, try with Black Rice.
Dos and Don'ts:
- Soak the black rice for at least 10 hours or preferably overnight as it takes more time to get soaked. The better the rice is soaked, the smoother the black rice paste would be. And we expect smoother black rice paste for the Smooth Black Rice Halwa.
- There is only one Mantra for all the Halwa recipes. Wanna know it? Keep stirring and keep on stirring until the halwa starts to leave the pan. It took 35 minutes for me to get the right halwa consistency.
- The coconut milk is what makes the Black rice Halwa tastes rich. So, don't try to skip or substitute it with something else.
- Though ghee can be used, coconut oil truly lifts the Black rice Halwa taste to the next level and hence I suggest using coconut oil. Also, add coconut oil little by little and stir constantly until the Halwa consistency is achieved. I used little less than 1/4 cup for this recipe.
- Though Sugar or Jaggery can be used, Palm Jaggery is the real taste enhancer in this recipe which pairs cent percentage with the Black Rice and provide an added health benefit as well.
- Adding the palm jaggery directly is not the right way to do. Make a syrup and filter it before you add as it contains impurities.
Simply put, a luxurious, delicious, nutrient-rich, taste-rich and drool-worthy Halwa is what we see through this post which uses just 3 INGREDIENTS and all among them are Star ingredients. Perhaps, the soaking time may be little longer for the Black Rice and the constant stirring should be required throughout the Halwa making process. But, once tasted the Halwa, you would feel like it is worth the time you spent.
Black Rice Halwa | Kavuni Arisi Halwa
An extremely healthy and extraordinarily tasty, mouth-melting, non-sticky Halwa prepared with Sticky Black Rice, Coconut milk and Palm Jaggery.- Black Rice - 1 cup
- Grated coconut - 1/2 cup
- Palm Jaggery - 1 cup
- Coconut oil - 1/4 cup
- Chopped Cashews - 1/8 cup (optional)
- Water - 1 & 1/4 cups
- Wash and soak a cup of black rice overnight.
- Grind the soaked black rice along with the water in which the black rice is soaked to a smooth paste.
- Add the smooth black rice paste to the pan and start stirring.
- Now, add 1 cup of water to 1/2 cup of grated coconut, grind and extract coconut milk.
- Add the coconut milk to the black rice paste and stir continuously to get rid of the lumps.
- Add 1/4 cup of water to 1 cup of Palm jaggery and stir over the flame to dissolve completely.
- Filter the Palm Jaggery syrup and add to the black halwa paste. Stir well to incorporate.
- Keep stirring the black rice halwa constantly adding the coconut oil in batches.
- Add some chopped cashews to the black rice halwa and mix well.
- Keep stirring until the halwa starts to leave the pan from the sides. This is the right halwa consistency and step the halwa away from the burner.
- Enjoy the nutritious & delicious Black Rice Halwa.
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Step-by-Step Procedure with Pictures
How to Make?
- Take a cup of black rice in a bowl. The cup I use measures about 250gms. The black rice (Kavuni Rice) used should be glutinous for making this halwa.
- Wash the black rice twice and drain-off the water.
- Now, soak the black rice with enough water for about 8 to 10 hours. Soaking overnight is the best idea and you could soak them for 12 hours also. More time they soak, more smooth the black rice paste would be.
- Don't dare to waste the water in which the black rice is soaked. Add the nutritious water along with the black rice and grind to get a silky smooth paste.
- There should not be any grains present after grinding. So make a smooth paste out of it.
- Add the smooth black rice paste to the pan and start stirring.
- Meanwhile, add half a cup of tightly packed grated coconut and 1 cup of water to a mixer jar or extractor, grind and extract the coconut milk.
- Add the extracted coconut milk to the black rice paste.
- Stir continuously to incorporate the coconut milk into the black rice paste. Take good care to make it free from lumps.
- In another pan, add a cup of Palm Jaggery and a quarter cup of water, mix well over the flame until the Palm Jaggery is dissolved completely.
- Filter the palm jaggery syrup before adding to the black rice paste. Filtering the syrup helps in omitting the dust and impurities present in the syrup. Mix the palm jaggery syrup with the black rice+coconut milk paste. Stir well to incorporate the sweetness throughout the Halwa.
- It's time to start adding the coconut oil. Do not add coconut oil at one. Add oil little by little constantly stirring the Black rice halwa. I use little less than 1/4 cup for making this Halwa. If you add more oil, the oil would get oozed out once the Halwa consistency is achieved. Adding the right amount of oil is a wise idea.
- Add some chopped cashews to the Black Rice Halwa if you want. The chopped nuts give a nutty, crunchy bite then and there which would be enjoyable.
- Keep stirring, keep stirring and keep on stirring. It took 35 minutes for me the get the right Halwa consistency. Stir constantly without taking breaks to get a perfect halwa.
- The Halwa would start to leave the sides once it is ready. Do not delay after this stage. Step the Halwa away from the burner.
- Now, see how it is flowing from the pan. Wow! The Black Rice Halwa is very perfect!
- Enjoy the ever delicious Black Rice Halwa on each bite.
- Don't discard the water in which the black rice is soaked. Use that nutritious water to grind the black rice.
- Black rice takes more time to get soaked. Even 12 hours of soaking time is completely fine as because good soaking is needed to get the smooth paste which would in turn yields the smooth Halwa.
- The perfection of Halwa lies in Stirring. So Stir continuously until the Halwa starts to leave the sides of the pan.
Extremely Nutritious! Extraordinarily Delicious!
Excellent recipe..
ReplyDeleteDelicious and healthy recipes..
Keep it up..
Diwali special sweet,,👌👌👍