Have you ever had a sweet dish that surprises you in the best way? This temple-style Poha Halwa is unlike anything you’ve seen before. Made with jaggery, coconut, and poha (flattened rice), it’s a simple yet divine prasad (offering) that tastes nostalgic and comforting — with a unique ingredient combo you wouldn’t expect!
🧾 Ingredients:
For the jaggery syrup:
- 1 heaping cup jaggery (gud), chopped
- ¾ cup water
- 3–4 crushed green cardamoms
For roasting:
- 2 tbsp desi ghee
- 10–12 cashews
- 8–10 almonds (chopped)
- 1 tbsp raisins
- ½ cup grated or shredded dry coconut (or use fresh if preferred)
For the halwa:
- 1 cup thick poha (flattened rice), cleaned and sieved
- 2 tbsp desi ghee
- Crushed cardamom (to sprinkle at the end)
- Optional: 1 tbsp extra ghee for finishing
👨🍳 Instructions:
1. Make the Jaggery Syrup
- In a pan, add chopped jaggery and water.
- Heat on medium flame, stir occasionally until it melts completely.
- Add crushed cardamom seeds for enhanced aroma.
- Once the syrup is clear (no lumps), turn off the heat and keep it aside.
💡 Tip: Do not boil the syrup too much. It should just be melted — like honey in consistency.
2. Dry Roast Poha (Flattened Rice)
- In another pan, heat 2 tbsp ghee on low flame.
- Add the cleaned poha and roast slowly, stirring constantly.
- Roast until poha turns slightly golden and emits a nutty aroma.
- Make sure to evenly roast to avoid some parts burning and others staying raw.
⚠️ Don’t rush this step — under-roasted poha won’t absorb syrup properly!
3. Roast Dry Fruits & Coconut
- In a separate pan, heat 2 tbsp ghee.
- Roast cashews and chopped almonds on very low flame until golden.
- Add raisins at the end (they puff up quickly).
- Remove and keep aside.
- In the same ghee, add grated coconut and roast until light golden. Set aside.
4. Combine and Cook the Halwa
- Add jaggery syrup to the roasted poha.
- Increase the heat to high for a minute but do not stir immediately.
- Let the poha begin absorbing the syrup on its own.
- Once the syrup starts disappearing and poha looks puffed, gently stir.
- Now add roasted coconut and reduce the flame to low.
- Let it cook until 90% of the syrup is absorbed.
- Turn off the flame, then add roasted cashews, almonds, and raisins.
- Sprinkle 1 tbsp ghee and some crushed cardamom.
- Cover the pan with a lid for 5 minutes to lock in the aroma.
🤫 Pro Secret: Adding cardamom and ghee at the end + covering gives that divine temple-like aroma!
✅ Result:
Soft, juicy, flavorful halwa with melt-in-mouth poha, fragrant cardamom, crunchy nuts, and sweet jaggery notes. No refined sugar, minimal ghee, and full of taste — this sweet poha prasad is a must-try!
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