Banana Halva (kelay ka halva)

This recipe was inspired by the Banana Halva recipe in Madhur Jaffrey's Quick and Easy Indian Cooking. I'd tasted Carrot Halva in India and loved this sweet dessert but never Banana Halva. I was intrigued and decided to try it. Unlike Carrot Halva there is no milk in this recipe so it's a good one for vegans too.

In the original recipe 1 tablespoon of chopped unsalted peeled pistachios and 1/2 tablespoon of chopped walnuts were used. Neither of these were in my pantry but I did have sliced almonds and used a small handful of these. Instead of 2 tablespoons of sugar  to sweeten I added a splash of Heilala Vanilla syrup. A sprinkle of cinamon at the end looked pretty and added some spice.

The bananas for this recipe shoudd be very ripe. I think I should have waited for one more day before I made this dessert as my bananas had not quite reached this stage so the dessert was not as  toffee like or darkened as much as it would otherwise have.

I used ghee rather than oil and this worked well but I still had to keep stirring the bananas and watch them like a hawk to prevent them from sticking and burning.

This dessert is quite filling and dense so I served it on individual tasting spoons accompanied by a bowl of whipped cream.

I usually use up my overripe bananas in a banana cake. But as this made a nice and not to sweet dessert I'd make Banana Halva again. I wouldn't leave out the nuts as I think this recipe needs some crunch, or some vanilla  but I may try it with the pistachio and walnut combination which was in the original recipe.

Ingredients:

4 very ripe bananas ( I used All Good Fair Trade)
1 tablespoon of oil/ghee
1 splash of Heilala Vanilla Syrup ( or 2 tablespoons of sugar and a few drops of vanilla essence)
a small handful of sliced almonds
A little ground cinnamon

Method:

Peel the bananas and mash them
In a non stick frypan put the oil/ghee
When hot add the bananas.
Keep stirring as you fry them for 5-6 minutes.
Reduce the heat to medium and fry for 10 or so more minutes until the bananas turn into a kind of soft toffee.
Turn the heat to low and add a splash of Heilala Vanilla Syrup and a small handful of flaked almonds
If you use sugar stir for another 30 seconds until it has dissolved
Let the halva cool to room temperature and cover with cling film until serving time.
Serve with a bowl of whipped cream.

I created this recipe for this week's I Heart Cooking Club Challenge which was focussed on Madhur Jaffrey's Sweet Endings.. Take a look to see what kind of interesting recipes others have contibuted at
http://iheartcookingclubs.blogspot.co.nz/