FRESH ORANGE HALWA DESSERT

My body craves to lie down in couch at this time with a favourite read followed by deep slumber, warmth of the sky is getting me that feel ! It reminds me of winter afternoons, we would wrap "lycembee" made of old saris, similar to kantha or rajai, sit in balcony of our two roomed rented space, keeping our back take in afternoon day light! This was scene on weekends, on entire winter holidays!

We would be having orange or sugarcane or mix of pomelo-salt-green chillies-burnt crushed dry red chillies. Strangely, I remember the face of "Ankhwala", the visiting sugarcane seller in neighbourhood! Reminiscing bygone days doesn't speak of unhappy present, we look beyond only after securing peace at present home. It's inevitable, we can't fixate our mind, soul at one place, that's against human nature. Let your minds wander.

My mind is enveloped with varied thoughts, travelling to and fro from past to the present, who has seen future, a tomorrow? No mind goes empty, I don't go to work; office schedules, boss's temper, colleagues' love, pride, strategies do not occupy my mind. It shelters literature, music; weaves words if not skilfully! However, all of this is done with food bowls on lap! 

Yesterday, I was at a food court in Serangoon Gardens having Rojak, I call it South East Asian fruit chaat, thinking of preparing my version, blog about it. It was raining hard, I wasn't carrying an umbrella. I sat with a huge biscuit & teh-o-kosong! That extra bit of food my aged body doesn't need, that is causing weight increase given I only do low intensity workouts like walking & swimming! I must fix it, how to?Few hours back I had a plate of noodles, I can't control cravings. I am having fruits now. At night, I would eat little rice! The reasons of still not slimming are poor metabolism, age, to lose menopausal belly is hard! Moreover, I wasn't ever lean, obese to overweight to decent I got, again allowing weight gain would be too taxing on my mental health! I envy man's lean self, my brother was like him once, don't know why his athletic self allowed it, our parents had never been overweight! His girl too was nice back in 2011, now got overweight. It is unacceptable the man's sister getting fat, she religiously maintained. The son was thin like father, now tends to get fat like me. He doesn't look good when overweight, I warn! However, mumma wants him to cook noodles in microwave like she did today!

This early morning I saw a reel, tried, thoroughly enjoyed having a vegan noodle bowl done in a pot! Let me try to make it vegan, gluten-free, make reel or blog about it!

It's spring, let me find out drumstick flowers, Singapore doesn't sell! I located a low height drumstick tree, there are many islandwide but blooms are high above. It's time for mango blooms too, smells beautiful!

I keep myself occupied doing chores I enjoy, else would keep worrying about my boy! I think every parent staying far off does, be it for male child or girl child. I roam around islandwide, hardly get time to do experiments with cooking, watch movies. I must be active how much the couch attracts. 

My inquisitive self might have been entangled in mystery I am seeking to solve, however making of dairy-free, low sugar, vegetarian, vegan FRESH ORANGE HALWA DESSERT is simple. I thoroughly enjoy cooking simpler these days, the result need be near perfect! I don't like half hearted works, be it in office or at home or in any sphere. Cristine extracted juice of super sweet oranges; or may be they are Malta, Mandarins. We get variety of, I confuse. I feel happy if it's sweet! Once  I get juice done, making of halwa is cake walk. The stirring part tones your arms. I fed son "sujir payesh" so much, he dislikes Bengali style suji-halwa, done with fruit juices he would eat. Since 2020, I don't know his food preferences well, he dislikes speaking about his daily chores! There are varied recipes of orange halwa in the internet, I remember of my co-bloggers too, I didn't consult any!

INGREDIENTS :

ORANGE : 3 BIG JUICY

SEMOLINA : 1/2 COFFEE MUG

SUGAR : 3 TBSP

BAY LEAF : 1

GREEN CARDAMOM : 2-3

OIL : 1 TBSP [The thought of Ghee+Fruit Juice doesn't give me comfort]

SLICED TOASTED ALMOND : 2 TSP

PROCEDURE :

Cristine washed seedless oranges, peeled, extracted juice! This was big help.

For cooking desserts, I use pan that's not used for regular cooking! 

I heated pan, dry roasted almonds, took out in bowl.

I added oil, tempered with bayleaf & green cardamoms tearing bit!

I added semolina, folded in, roasted for 10-12 minutes at low heat!

Semolina would get golden brown, the sugar is to be added now. I kept stirring for 4-5 minutes.

Thereafter, I added orange juice, folded in, kept stirring until orange halwa started to become paste like.

I added most of roasted almond slices at this stage, stirred for one more minute, took down.

I transferred it to a serving bowl, garnished with rest of sliced roasted almonds.

Serve & have warm. Chilled halwa never tastes good!