Cracked Wheat Fig Halwa

Festive season has been started and lots of colors, food, colorful outfits! Oh my god I just love it. Navratri and Diwali are my favorite festival since childhood because when me and my brothers were kids, my parents used to buy us new colorful clothes, jewelry and my mother used to make so many sweet, savory, and spicy dishes. We stayed up late at night playing dandiya for all nine days of Navratri with friends and was so much fun. Now I can see the same excitement in my kids too, especially my daughter. She just loves Indian outfits and I am always trying to create different designs for her Navratri lehnga cholis. 
I will post a few pictures here soon because you know girls... they want to keep their outfits a secret until they show them to their friends!

I am fasting during Navratri to worship Durga Ma! And I love to make different prasads everyday to offer. Navratri is now famous all around the world for dandiya and garba!
Today, I have made cracked wheat and fig halwa. This is healthy because of cracked wheat and figs. Generally I like to make simple cracked wheat halwa with nuts. I got figs from Costco and this brilliant idea came in my mind. Hope you all will like it too.

Ingredients (serves 6):

1/2 cup cracked wheat
3 cup water
1/2 cup whipping cream
1 tablespoon clarified butter (ghee)
7 figs chopped in small pieces
2 tablespoon Cane sugar or Organic Coconut palm Sugar
1 tablespoon almond powder
Pinch of nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon  cardamom powder
1/2 cup extra water if needed 

2 tablespoon chopped pistachio
Saffron strands 

Procedure:

1. On medium heat, roast cracked wheat and clarified butter (ghee) in wide pan  for 10-12 minutes until it becomes light brown.
2. Add 3 cups of water and mix cracked wheat. Stir for 5 minutes and then cover it with lid and let it cook for 20 minutes.
3. Occasionally lift the lid carefully and stir the mixture and make sure there is enough water to cook them. Otherwise they will stick on bottom of the pan and will burn. If you need you can add 1/4 cup extra water to cook them well.
4. Now after 20-25 minutes check if wheat is properly cooked . They should be soft and if you press the grains between your finger tips or taste them, you can judge that it is cooked.
5. Now add whipping cream, figs and sugar into this mixture and stir well .
6. Stir continuously until sugar is melted and mixture is leaving side and making firm texture.
7. Add  saffron, cardamom powder, nutmeg and mix it well.
8. Cool it down and mould in your choice of shape or you can serve hot with garnishing of pistachio. 

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