This Kadha Prasad is served in Gurudwaras/ Sikh places of worship, touches the soul as it is prepared with utmost dedication and devotion- and helped by some ghee/ clarified butter. The soft velvety halwa is believed to be as food blessed by the Guru. Rich in ghee and sugar, Kadha Prasad is immensely delicious and is undoubtedly difficult to resist on just one serving. The prasad is served out of the same bowl to everyone in equal proportions. As a sign of humility and respect, visitors accept the Kadha Prasad with a bow, with hands raised and cupped.
The word Gurudwara means the door to the guru. So when you visit the guru you cannot come back empty-handed. The guru offers his sweet blessings to you. Thus Kadha Prasad signifies these blessings and one should never say no to Kadha Prasad when you visit any Gurudwara.
Kadha Prasad is made with four ingredients – whole wheat flour, ghee, sugar, and water. It is best is to use freshly ground flour that is grainy and coarse. The coarse flour gives it a better texture and mouthfeel. The proportion is 1:1:1:3 ratio of wheat flour, ghee, sugar, and water respectively. Thus Kadha Prasad has a different taste than the usual Atta halwa we make at home. The key to a good halwa is to cook the whole wheat flour on a slow flame and get a brown color with a sandy/grainy texture. Once you start cooking the flour you have to stir it continuously. And at the correct time add the thin sugar syrup.
Ingredients
- 1 cup atta or 120 grams whole wheat flour
- 1 cup sugar or 200 grams sugar
- 1 cup ghee
- 3 cups of water
Instructions; Making sugar solution
- Take 1 cup of sugar in a pan or pot. Add 3 cups of water. Use a pan that has a handle as it helps to add sugar solution to the Atta mixture in the later part of the recipe
- Keep the pan on the stovetop on a medium-low to medium flame
- Stir the solution so that all the sugar dissolves
- Heat this sugar solution till it begins boiling
- Once the sugar solution boils, then switch off the flame
Instructions; Frying Wheat Flour for Kadha Prasad
- Meanwhile when you keep the sugar solution to boil, also place a heavy-bottomed kadhai or pan on another stovetop on a low flame
- Add 1 cup ghee. Let the entire ghee melt
- Then add whole wheat flour
- Stir and mix the whole wheat flour (atta) with the ghee
- Mix very well to get a mixture without lumps
- On a low flame begin to fry the whole wheat flour in ghee
- Fry the Atta stirring non-stop
- The colour of the flour will change as you keep on stirring and cooking it. Keep on stirring the flour to ensure even browning
- The Atta or whole wheat flour should have a shade of dark golden colour and should have a nutty fragrance
Instructions; Making Kadha Prasad
- When the Atta turns to a dark golden colour, add the sugar solution in two parts. Be very careful as the mixture bubbles and splutters a lot
- Mix and stir very well
- Then add the second part of hot sugar solution. continue to mix very well.
- Now cook the Kadha Prasad stirring non-stop
- The mixture will thicken as it gets cooked
- The halwa will also start releasing ghee
- Continue to stir non-stop and cook till the whole mixture becomes one mass and leaves the sides of the pan
- The consistency of the Kadha Prasad will also change as well as the color.
- When the Kadha Prasad has a thick pudding like consistency, then switch off the flame
- Serve Kadha Prasad hot or warm
Visit Gurdwara Sahib in Pushkar for some hot and tasty Kadha Prasad!