Snacks & Street Food
Swari-Haluwa
स्वारी हलुवा
Swari-haluwa is the old breakfast of Kathmandu: flaky deep-fried wheat rounds served with a glossy semolina pudding heavy with ghee. Rooted in Newar shops around Ason and Indra Chowk, it is sold from steel trays from dawn until the batch runs out, often with a coil of jeri and a bowl of aloo-kerau tarkari to make the full set. It is unapologetically rich, and the whole point is to eat it standing at the counter with hot tea.
- Prep
- 40 min
- Cook
- 45 min
- Total
- 85 min
- Serves
- 6
- Difficulty
- Medium
At the stove
Method
Rub 4 tablespoons of ghee into the flour and salt until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs, then add warm water gradually to make a firm, smooth dough. Knead well, cover and rest for 30 minutes.
For the haluwa, melt the ghee in a heavy pan and add the semolina. Roast over low to medium heat, stirring constantly, for 12 to 15 minutes until it turns a nutty golden brown and smells toasted.
Stir the sugar into the hot water or milk until dissolved, then pour it into the semolina in a steady stream, standing back as it spits.
Keep stirring until the mixture thickens, pulls away from the sides and glistens with released ghee. Fold in the cardamom, raisins, nuts and saffron, then cover and keep warm.
Divide the rested dough into 12 pieces and roll each into a thin disc, keeping the centre marginally thicker than the edge.
Heat the oil to about 180 C — a scrap of dough should surface immediately.
Slide in one swari at a time and press it gently under the oil with a slotted spoon until it puffs up like a balloon.
Turn it once and fry for another 30 seconds until pale gold with a few blistered spots; do not let it darken or it will lose its softness.
Drain and serve hot, two or three swari to a plate with a mound of haluwa beside them.
From other kitchens
Reviews
No reviews yet — be the first kitchen to report back.