Junnu Gaddi (Chaina Grass) Halwa

This is my Husband’s and my favorite sweet. When we taste this it will melt in our mouth. This is a great dish to serve as a dessert.

When I was boiling milk I felt that the milk got curdled and the sweet got spoiled and I turned off the pan and left the kitchen. For something I went into the kitchen when I saw this it has become hard. So thought of repairing it. So I cut the mix into small pieces and added the same to the blender. Added little milk and enough sugar and ground to a smooth paste without any lumps. And then poured into the bowls. Within short time it became hard and it came out very good. I felt if I have seen when my Mom was preparing then I would have come to know how it will be at the time of preparing. Finally I felt like I have achieved something.

All this I told you to know tht … if the milk looks like curdling don’t worry and carry on.

Learnt From: My Mom.

Serving for: 5 People

Cooking time: less than 10 minutes.

Ingredients:

Junnu Gaddi / Agar-Agar / Chaina Grass --- 10 gms

(My friend Sunitha gave this packet to me which she got from India.)

If you take out of the packet the chaina grass looks like this.

Milk --- 2 cups (500 ml)
Sugar --- ½ Cup (120 ml)
Water --- ½ Cup (120 ml)

Process:

Cut the chaina grass into small pieces with scissors or with knife according to your convenience. [When chopped the volume of the chaina grass is ½ cup (120 ml)]


In a pan add ½ cup of water and chopped chaina grass. Keep stirring still the chaina grass melts and dissolves completely in water. You can cook entire thing on 'Medium-High' heat.



Then add 2 cups of milk into the pan.
Keep it for a boil.


Then add sugar to it. Keep stirring still the sugar dissolves.

Immediately, take a plate and drop a drop of the milk mix on the plate. You find a layer like formation in 2-3 seconds. (or touch it with two fingers you feel light sticky layer forms in between two fingers. That is the right time to turn off the flame.) Then turn off the flame. It takes almost 1-2 minutes only. So, do this step carefully. If you keep it for long this becomes hard. Actually, it should be very soft.

Transfer the consistency to small bowls or to a wide and edged plate.

Cover them and rest it for some time like 1 ½ - 2 hrs till the milk mix binds together. No need to refrigerate to become hard.
If you have rested the mix on a plate … cut them into nice fine pieces.
Junnu gaddi halwa is ready. Have it.