Mukhadi Halwa

"Dubai has been full of surprises. We woke up to a cool rainy morning today and a bowl of MUKHADI HALWA sounded so good. Not a very well known Halwa though, this caramel semolina pudding is my ultimate comfort food. . My parents were both born in pre-partitioned Pakistan side of India. Lucky for them, their respective families moved to India just a few days before the partition was officially announced and the mayhem & savagery began. They were amongst the few lucky families who could all cross over without any casuality. Like all immigrants, they could carry nearly nothing along with them except for gratitude that the family was safe. Besides that I guess they carried memories – some bitter, some sweet. However, also came along with these immigrants were some particular food habits and recipes. Although there is seemingly not much difference in the culture and cuisine of Pakistan and India, yet there are some recipes that are distinctive to that particular region. This dish is a heirloom recipe from my mother’s side of the family. Interestingly, I can’t recall anyone towards my dad’s side of the family making this halwa or even my Punjabi friends knowing of this halwa. What makes it different from the regular halwa is it's unique and unusual method of preparing and cooking. Semolina and all purpose flour is soaked in milk and roasted along with caramelised sugar. I absolutely love this dessert for its inimitable flavors. "