Baisan Halwa

INGREDIENTS

• Baisan (fine ground chickpea flour), 2 cups
• Oil (preferably vegetable), 1 cup (or more)
• Milk, 2 cups
• Water, 2 cups
• Ilaichi (cardamom) powder, 1 teaspoon
• Sugar, 2 cups
• Golden raisins, 1 cup (or more if you like)

HALWA UP!

1. In a large cooking pot add Baisan and oil and mix well.
   Note: Baisan soaks all the oil, you may need more to fry the flour well. Make sure oil is enough to wet the quantity of flour.
2. Set on high heat and keep tossing baisan around to avoid burning. There should be a slight sizzle sound of baisan frying. If not add a few more tablespoons of oil.
3. Keep frying until baisan changes color from yellow to brown. Brown color should be like golden raisins brown. Once well-fried, set the cooking pot aside.
4. In another pot add 2 cups milk, 2 cups water, 1 teaspoon cardamom (ilaichi powder), 2 cups sugar, 1 cup kishmish, and mix well. Set on high heat and bring close to boil.
5. Very carefully and off the stove, add milk solution to the pot containing the fried baisan. It will start to sizzle and splutter immediately. Set it on the stove on low heat.
6. Carefully taste a little bit of the mixture and if you want it more sweet add more sugar with half cup water. Use a tough spoon because this halwa is very very hard to stir because it turns super thick and tight when milk is added. It also fluffs up in volume. Mix well and set on medium heat and continue stirring and fighting with the halwa.
7. It will leave the pan and become one solid dough like piece and stick to the spoon as you stir. Keep cooking until all liquid is gone, and beyond. Keep tossing it, cutting through it with the cooking spoon, mashing it, churning it.
8. When it is perfectly dry- still dough-like - take it off the stove. Garnish with more raisins (even sliced almonds and pistachios if you like).