Another mahua based rare delicacy which is sugar free. The mahua is a large tree which flowers in abundance in late spring or early summer (March end to April beginning). These flowers are small, pale green and translucent – delicate and soft. As a female name in rural India it evokes an image of ethereal beauty. Recall that the woman who was sold by her cruel step mother in the cult classic “Teesri Kasam” is called “Mahua Ghatwarin” or Mahua of the ghats. Every morning during the late spring season you will find a carpet of these flowers below the tree. They ferment rapidly and mahua is a pretty strong drink. Here we exploit not its intoxicating properties, but its inherent sweetness. They have to be used almost immediately after you pick them for this preparation. The total preparation time is 25 minutes.
Mahua
The ingredients for 4 persons.
4 cups fresh mahua flowers.
1 cup whole wheat flour.
2 tablespoons ghee (rarefied butter).
Method: Squeee the mahua flowers and collect its juice in a pan. Strain it. Roast the whole wheat flour in a deep pan with ghee until it turns brown in colour. Boil the mahua juice and add it to the wheat flour. Cook it over low heat for 5 minutes until the flour takes on the consistency of a halva.
The halva is ready to eat. It has the natural sweetness of mahua and no sugar is added to it.
