Halbai is a delicacy often prepared during festivals and several other occasions in the southern Karnataka region. It has a soft and fudgy texture and has a rich flavor of coconut and delicately sweetened with jaggery.
Halbai is one of the unique recipes of the Mangalore/Udupi region. Just like Neer Dosa or Khara Dosa. This a sweet that requires you to develop taste for. I wasn’t a big fan of this dessert in my childhood. But over time, I developed my liking towards it, one of the reason being it is my husband’s favorite traditional sweet and I make these often now. This sweet is naturally gluten-free and it is vegan.
Halbai is infused with jaggery and coconut. You can add more or less jaggery based on your take. This is one of the recipes that mum makes really well, and it is my family’s favorite.
How to make Halbai ?
Ingredients that you need to make this recipegrated coconut
- fresh or grated coconut
- Sona masoori rice or long grain rice
- jaggery
- water
- salt
- Ghee or vegan butter or coconut oil
- roasted cashews
- cardamom for flavour
Tips to make perfect Halbai –
the texture of the batter – Make sure you grind coconut and rice into a smooth mixture.
Glossy top – Wait for the dough to get glossy before taking out the pan from the flame. Cook the dough in medium flame. This takes about good 15-20 mins.
Method:
Wash and soak rice for 2 hours.
Grind coconut & rice along with little water and salt until smooth.
In a pan, add Jaggery and remaining water. Allow it to melt. I use powdered jaggery, if you using the whole Jaggery, you can opt to grate it. Be free to add more jaggery per you liking for sweet taste. You can use brown sugar instead of jaggery.
Note: sugar tends to be sweeter than jaggery, adjust the quantity accordingly.
Then add ground rice-coconut paste and cook for 10-15 mins in low- medium consistency.
Keep stirring to make sure there are no lumps & add ghee.
Cook until the dough starts separating from the pan, and ghee starts leaving from the sides. Add cardamom.
Transfer it to a greased plate, and allow it to cool.
Garnish with cashews, and cut it to the desired shape.
I hope you like the recipe. It is –
- Fudgy
- Sweetened by Jaggery
- Coconut Infused
- & incredibly delicious.
Your valuable feedback is appreciated. If you try this recipe, leave a comment below, rate it, or tag a photo #eateriesdelightful on Instagram 🙂
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Halbai | Rice Halwa
Traditional dessert recipe prepared using Rice, Coconut & Jaggery
- 1 cup grated coconut
- 1 cup sona masoori rice or long grain rice
- 2 cups jaggery
- 3 cups water
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 – 1/3 cup Ghee or vegan butter or coconut oil (plus more for greasing)
- 6-7 roasted cashews
- pinch of cardamom (//flavoring)
Wash and soak rice in water for 2 hours or 1 hour in hot water. Drain and rinse.
Add rice, salt, and coconut in a blender/mixer, along with 1 cup of water. Grind it to a smooth paste.
- Take a large bottom pan, add jaggery and remaining water, and let it dissolve completely. Now turn on the stove, add rice paste to the pan and stir well.
Add ghee or vegan butter now, mix well. Cook for another 10-15 mins while stirring in between. Add cardamom
The mixture will start getting separated from the ghee/vegan butter when it's is ready and also it will have a glossy finish.
- Grease a round shaped pan, and pour the mixture into the pan, decorate with cashews and let it sit for 30 mins.
Cut the Halbai into equal shaped squares when it cools down.
Substitution: Rice can be swapped with rava.
This is can be refrigerated for up to 5 days.
Did you make this recipe?
Please let me know how it turned out for you. Leave a comment below or share a picture on Instagram with the hashtag #harshrurecipes.
Happy cooking!
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