Guava Fudge - Sweet Indian Halwa
It’s pouring cats and dogs here… I was sitting on our porch sipping on tea and wondering how to kill time. Suddenly I saw a Guava tree in our neighbor’s house full of Guavas. Not just a few… baskets full of it! Mom told me that nobody eats them and they all get rotten.
I just couldn’t bear the thought of so many sweet, juicy guavas getting wasted. I had time on hand and tons of guavas… what do I make? Guava Fudge/Halwa! After a week without any desserts/sweets (YES! you heard that right!!) I deserved a piece of sinful Indian halwa/fudge laden with sugar and ghee…
That’s about 4KGS of Guavas fresh from the tree!
We went and got a big bucket full of ripe, juicy guavas as our neighbors were more than happy to get rid of it and proceeded with the guava fadge making task! Let me warn you right in the beginning!! There is nothing healthy or quick about it!
Guavas are often included among superfruits, being rich in dietary fiber, vitamins A and C, folic acid, and the dietary minerals, potassium, copper and manganese. Having a generally broad, low-calorie profile of essential nutrients, a single common guava (P. guajava) fruit contains about four times the amount of vitamin C as an orange. (source)
Guavas are very healthy. Cooking with so much sugar and ghee is probably not the healthiest way to eat it but it sure is a tasty way 😉 but then again… I assume fudge filled with guava is healthier than the ones filled with white flour and butter!
Unlike my other recipes I can’t call this quick and easy. It’s not necessarily difficult but it is time consuming. It took me a little over 2 hours to transform a bucketful of fruits into a boxful of fudge!
But this guava halwa/fudge is nothing like I have ever tasted before. It’s really rich but absolutely amazing! They are very fragrant, almost like honey! They are soft, slightly grainy, like the fruit and has a beautiful deep red colour. Each bite is bursting with guava flavor! After tasting the end product I was convinced that all the hard work was worth it.
If you ever come across a basket full of guava and you have a few hours to spare you know what to do;)
Sweet, juicy Guavas
Cut them into half and scoop the seeds out.
Do not use the seeds
Guava puree and sugar
Keep stirring and cooking in low flame
Cut into squares
Each bite is bursting with guava flavor! Guava fudge/halwa
[typography font=”Cantarell” size=”24″ size_format=”px” color=”#b36f98″]Ingredients:[/typography]
- Guavas approximately 4 KGs
- Sugar 4 cups (depends on how sweet your fruits are)
- Ghee 6-8 tbsp
Wash and clean the guavas. Cut them into half and scoop the seeds out. I used the seeds to make a spicy chutney with chilis and garlic. Do not use them in the halwa/fudge as it will result in a very grainy texture.
Roughly chop the deseeded guavas and cook them without any water. Cook for about 10-15 minutes till it’s soft. Strain the fruits to get rid of the extra water. Blend the fruits into a smooth puree.
Take a heavy bottom pan, pour the fruit puree and add the sugar. The amount of sugar to use will completely depend on how sweet your guavas are. Mine were not too sweet due to the rain so I had to use a good amount of sugar to sweeten the mixture. Cook them in low flame. As the mixture is very water it can splutter all over so keep it closed. Keep stirring the mixture every 10-15 minutes so that it does not stick to the bottom of the pan. Mixture will change colour and will reduce in quantity. When it begins to get hard and touch to stir and starts sticking to the bottom, add the ghee. Mix well for a few more minutes. It should reach a fudgy consistency. The entire cooking time can be over an hour. When done transfer the mixture to a greased plate and smoothen the surface with a spoon. Let it cool for 2-3 hours in room temperature.
Cut into squares when cold. It can be stored for up to a week without a refrigerator.
Enjoy with your evening tea or a scoop of ice cream!
44 comments :
Jamuna Belliappa January 24, 2014 11:41AM
can somebody tell me how much it costs per kg?
Jamuna Belliappa January 24, 2014 11:40AM
can anybody please tell me how much it costs per kg?
veronica September 4, 2013 10:34PM
in the caribbean we call this guava cheese and it is very delicious , now all the trees are full of guavas , and its sold in the westindian markets …….thanks for sharing i like your site…..love from Barbados
Ashwini July 15, 2013 4:10PM
Wow..a Goan sweet featured here. Thanks.
Ashwini July 15, 2013 4:05PM
Nice to see the Goan sweet!!
seeker76 August 28, 2011 4:36PM
Very nice thread. I just found upon your blog and wanted to say that I’ve very much enjoyed browsing your blog posts. Thanks
Surekha August 14, 2011 7:25PM
Hello Chinmayie,
Just bumped in to your blog, I love it….I love this recipe….unfortunately we don’t get such good guavas in US, but definitely will try it when I get my hands on these gorgeous pink guavas. I have subscribed to your blog, just wondering beside fb, do you have any other way I can follow your blog. Looking forward to getting more recipes in my email via feedburner. If you get a chance please visit my blog at http://surekha-myrecipescollection.blogspot.com/
Thank you.
Surekha.
Chinmayie August 15, 2011 9:46AM
Thank you Surekha! Glad you like my blog 🙂 You can follow me on Twitter for more updates on my blog. Will definitely visit your blog soon!
Becky MB August 10, 2011 12:05PM
I am keen to try this recipe as I love all things guava, but I wanted to clarify something first. Do you skin/peel your fruits? You mention to deseed them, and then rough chop them to cook them down…but is this with the skins? Thanks!
Chinmayie August 11, 2011 10:39AM
Hey Becky! I did not peel the fruits. I only deseeded them 🙂 Hope you like my recipe!
Lindsey@Lindselicious July 26, 2011 10:07PM
Guava fudge sounds amazing! I so want to try this. The colors in your pics are fabulous too!
kadhyaa July 25, 2011 6:28AM
Totally innovative and new recipe for me..I do find lot of these gvavas wasting in my mom’s backyard and never thought this will be used this way..I want a piease right away 🙂
Elise July 24, 2011 6:57PM
They look amazing!! I am so jealous! Shame guava in the UK usually is under ripe and very expensive or I’d give this a go. My boyfriend’s parents have a pear tree that always has loads of fruit on but they never get eaten, this year we’re going to experiment with some new recipes so they don’t go to waste!
Ameena July 24, 2011 3:51PM
The truth is I’ve never been a huge guava fan but in fudge form? That’s a whole different story…
Nash at Plateful July 24, 2011 8:51AM
Just subscribed to your posts – don’t wanna miss them! 😉
Nash at Plateful July 24, 2011 8:49AM
Hey this’s awesome! Who would have thought of converting those bountiful guavas to such sweet temptations!!? Not me! Absolutely brilliant! Actually I’m so tempted to go find a bucket of this fruit to cook this halva…but alas I can’t find guavas here 🙁
Hey I’m in love with your blog already! 🙂
Maria @ Scandifoodie July 23, 2011 7:00PM
This is an interesting take on halva! I’d love to try it, the colour is so beautiful!
Pia @ Peppercorns in my Pocket July 23, 2011 4:38PM
Thanks for finding me on Twitter, Chinmayi. I’m happy that it led me to your gorgeous, gorgeous blog. I love the art in your food!
We have a few things in common. I too am mommy to a busy 2-year old. Enjoy cooking, photographing and writing about. And I love Bangalore, having lived and worked there for some time.
Glad to connect!
Chinmayie July 24, 2011 3:15AM
Hey Pia! Thank you so much for stopping by and leaving me a comment! Great to meet another mommy blogger! Love twitter and it’s endless possibilities 🙂
Lakshmi July 23, 2011 3:07PM
What a treat! Looks great.
Sanjeeta kk July 23, 2011 11:34AM
Truly innovative and a scrumptious looking treat from you, Chinmayi! Lovely color and perfect squares.
anushruti July 23, 2011 10:04AM
Awesome! I want a piece right now! I absolutely love and can almost taste it!
Chinmayie July 23, 2011 1:31PM
Thanks Anushruti! Thank you for stopping by!
Radhika July 22, 2011 8:42PM
Chinmayie,
I am reminded of the guava tree in my grand dad’s house, though it never really bore ripe fruits. As kids, we climbed atop and ate the unripe green guava triumphantly for having reached up so high! your post brought back those memories..
My favorite is white guava as it has fewer seeds. Never really ate Guava fudge, but can just imagine how flavorful it must be and feel like taking a bite, credits to you 🙂
Chinmayie July 23, 2011 1:31PM
Thank you Radhika! Glad my post brought of memories of your childhood!
Kulsum at JourneyKitchen July 22, 2011 7:16PM
ohhhh! i want those now 🙁 I’m one big of guava and nothing matches eating it just off the tree like I used to do in India. How miss living there! And amazing fudge.
Chinmayie July 23, 2011 1:30PM
Thank you Kulsum! I agree with you completely! But I had over 4KGs of it! In fact I still have some left in my kitchen right now 🙂
SinFoodie July 22, 2011 5:15PM
OMG !!! This is just so awesome !! Never heard of guava being used in Halwa. The photographs are amazingly beautiful !!
Jackie July 22, 2011 4:50PM
I love this! I’ve never seen a fruity take on brownies before. Beautiful job =)
kankana July 22, 2011 4:20PM
This is fantastic! I used to eat a lot of guavas .. like a lot, but never knew that you could make fudge or halwa with that. Love the gorgeous color of the fudge and the thought of eating fudge made from fresh guava making me crave for it.
Brooke July 22, 2011 4:15PM
Nom! These look just gorgeous!
Radhika @ foodfor7stages July 22, 2011 3:58PM
What a beautiful fudge. I haven’t seen these red guava in the last 3 years. But the memories and the luscious taste is still lingering in my mind. I miss them.
Tanvi@SinfullySpicy July 22, 2011 3:46PM
Send some rain here..Havent seen guavas or( proper) rain for almost 2 years now..see again you made me mushy mushy :)..My husband is from Allahabad, guavas from there are most famous , I used to see this red inside variety there..Love Love Love the tart skin & sweet inside.I love how delicately you have stirred them to preserve the gorgeous color..a color which makes me weak in the knees.Thumbs up! 🙂
Have a fab weekend!
Chinmayie July 23, 2011 1:35PM
Thank you so much Tanvi!
Nithya July 22, 2011 3:09PM
The fat and time is totally worth it I guess. I’m loving it at first sight 🙂 Haven’t heard of fudge with guava and it looks stunning I say 🙂 Beautiful clicks.
Chinmayie July 22, 2011 3:13PM
Thank you 🙂
It is Nithya! Totally worth all that work!
Sia July 22, 2011 3:09PM
~drool~ plz send me some guavas and also this fudge :)gorgeous pics and equally lovely recipe. r u at ur mom’s place chinnu?
Chinmayie July 22, 2011 3:12PM
Yes Sia! I am… I wish I could send you some of the halwa, that’s better than me eating all of ti! lol
Chinmayie July 22, 2011 2:21PM
Thank you all so much!
Sharmilee! :) July 22, 2011 11:42AM
Wow looks perfect…yummy looking halwa
Anupama July 22, 2011 10:04AM
Gosh Chinmayee you are a genius. Guavas are so gorgeous, and that fudge looks amazing. Beautiful pics too
thepickyeater @ a spoonful of yumm July 22, 2011 9:36AM
such gorgeous images of pink guavas chinmayie ! awesome photography 😀 easy recipe too ! love it
Misha July 22, 2011 9:32AM
Wow!!! Looks delicious . I am definitely making it this weekend.
anh July 22, 2011 9:19AM
Guava! I haven’t seen that ruby color for a loooong time! My grandpa used to grow these! Love this!