Balehannu (Banana) halwa recipe

Banana halwa is amazingly yummy, soft and delicious. It  is also super easy to make. The banana has to ripen until its peel is completely black and then halwa is made from it. Banana, sugar and ghee are the three main ingredients in banana halwa or balehannu halwa. This halwa is very popular in the Karavali region of Karnataka.

The authentic banana halwa is prepared using a particular type of banana called "Nendra" or "Nendran" banana. But preparing halwa using another type of banana, which is familiar by name "putta bale" or "yelakki bale" is also well in practice. 

The halwa tastes great and yummy, irrespective of the type of banana used. But compare to nendra banana halwa, yelakki bale (putta bale) halwa will be little dark in colour.The key to amazing banana halwa are 2 important things: Nendran variety banana and overripe Nendran bananas. That’s when the banana inside is overripe and soft, perfect to make this amazingly yummy halwa.

Check out some more dessert recipes like

Fada Lapsi

Corn Dalia ki Kheer

Prep  time	Cooking time	Serves
10 mins	30 mins	2 persons

Recipe Type: Dessert

Cuisine:  Indian

Ingredients Ripe banana mashed – 2 cups Grated jaggery – 1 ½ cups Sugar – ¼ cup Ghee – ¼ cup Broken cashew pieces – ¼ cup Chopped badams – ½ cup Cardamom powder - pinch

Check out other banana recipes like

Nei Appam

Banana Kesari

Method

Selection of banana

1. After the banana peel turns completely black, use the bananas to make halwa. 

Peel the bananas, slice them and grind them to a fine paste in a blender. Do not add any water while grinding. 

Roast the nuts

2. To begin with roast the broken cashews and keep it aside. Grease a plate/tray with a thin layer of ghee.

Preparation

3. In another wide pan on medium high heat melt the Ghee and add the mashed Banana and stir till the it dries up a bit. As the banana puree cooks, it changes in color. Once it does change in color, keep stirring it continuously using a ladle to ensure uniform cooking and to prevent it from sticking to the bottom.

4. Keep on stirring continuously by adding ghee now and then. Ghee prevents halwa mixture from sticking to the plate. Halwa pieces can be easily removed off the plate later on.Add the melted Jaggery through a strainer into the Banana mixture; stir and cook for 10 to 15 minutes or until most of the water is evaporated.

5. Cook for a few minutes till the mixture comes together as a mass and forms peaks when you lift your spatula and Ghee starts to ooze out.

6. After about 15 minutes you can observe a slight colour change in the halwa. Time may vary depending on the amount of halwa you are making.

7. At this point add nuts and cardamom powder. Transfer the halwa mixture onto the greased tray and use a flat ladle to spread it out evenly. Add few drops of ghee to the ladle to help you spread the mixture or else it tends to stick to the ladle.

8. Allow the mixture to cool completely. Once cooled, cut halwa into pieces of desired shapes and then separate the pieces. You'll get a glossy texture on the halwa once it cools.

Notes

The amount of sugar to be added depends on how sweet the bananas are and how sweet you would like your halwa to be. 

Jaggery gives the best taste for the Halwa, but it will take a long time to get to a stage where we can cut the Halwa into pieces. On the other hand with Sugar, you don’t have to cook so long as Sugar will harden up more once cooled,