Halwa Puri Channa Divine Ashtami Prasad

Learn to make the perfect Ashtami Prasad with our Halwa Puri Channa recipe. Plus tips on how to make these to perfection. Celebrating Ashtami or not, everyone devours this spread, because it's absolutely divine. Try it yourself!!!

Jump to:

• What is Halwa Puri Channe?
• The Tradition of Ashtami Prasad
• Ingredients for Ashtami Prasad
• For Puris
• For Channe
• Instructions to make Halwa
• Instructions for Puri
• Instructions to Make Masaledar Kala Channa
• Dietary Preferences
• Storage
• How to serve
• Top Tips For Halwa
• Tips For the perfect Puris
• Tips for best Channe
• FAQ
• Related
• Pairing
• Halwa Puri Channe

What is Halwa Puri Channe?

Halwa Puri Channe is a combination of three distinct dishes:

Sweet Semolina (Sooji) Halwa

Halwa is a rich and sweet semolina pudding. Its golden hue and melt-in-the-mouth texture make it an irresistible treat for those with a sweet tooth.

Crispy Fried Puris

Puris are puffy, deep-fried breads made from unleavened wheat dough. These versatile, slightly savory breads complement both sweet and spicy dishes.

Spicy Channe

Channe, or chickpeas, are cooked in a flavorful, spicy sauce. This dish provides a hearty, protein-rich counterbalance to the sweetness of the halwa and the richness of the puris.

This trio is food for the soul, infact it's not just food, it's a festive delight and is usually made for either a weekend breakfast or as Ashtami Prasad.

The Tradition of Ashtami Prasad

Ashtami Prasad is one of those practices with a deep-rooted significance. Celebrated during Navratri, families prepare a special meal which includes Halwa, Puri, and Chana to adore the Goddess. The food is first offered to the deity; next, it is served to young girls, who are seen as the Goddess's earthly form, in a cute ritual known as "Kanjak.”

As a child, I used to always look forward to this day, as my sister and I would be invited to so many households to be served this prasad and the prasad of no two houses taste the same. Every household has its own recipe and I am sharing the recipe passed on to me by my mom and grandmother.

This was inspired by my other recipe on this site, and pairs well with this amazing sidedish recipe. Contextual, in-content links are far more valuable than a group listed at the bottom of the post.

Ingredients for Ashtami Prasad

To get your Ashtami Prasad just right, it's super important to pick the right ingredients

For Sooji / Semolina Halwa

• Semolina / Medium Coarse Sooji
• Ghee (Clarified Butter)
• Sugar
• Water
• Dried Fruits and Nuts like livered almonds, cashews, raisins
• Green Cardamom Pods or Cardamom powder

For Puris

• Wheat flour
• Ajwain seeds
• Salt
• Ghee
• Oil for frying

For Channe

• Black Channa (soaked overnight)
• Spices : Red Chilli Powder (lal mirch), Coriander Powder(dhaiya powder), Dry Mango Powder (amchur), Cumin Powder (jeera Powder), Cumin Seeds (Jeera), Turmeric (haldi), Garam Masala
• Salt
• Water
• Oil

See recipe card for quantities.

Instructions to make Halwa

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1. Prepare Sugar Syrup: Simultaneously, in a separate pot, dissolve sugar in water, add cardamom pods and bring it to a boil.
2. Roast the Semolina: Heat ghee in a pan and roast the semolina until it turns golden brown.
3. Combine: Gradually add the sugar syrup to the roasted semolina, stirring continuously to avoid lumps.
4. Finish: Cook until it thickens, and garnish with nuts if desired.

Instructions for Puri

1. Prepare the Dough: Mix flour, salt, and water to form a soft dough. Let it rest for 15-20 minutes.
2. Roll Out Puris: Divide the dough into small balls, then roll each ball into a thin, round disc.
3. Fry: Heat oil in a deep pan. Fry each puri in hot oil until it puffs up and turns golden brown.

Instructions to Make Masaledar Kala Channa

1. Pressure Cook: Add Soaked Black Chickpeas in a pressure cooker or Instant Pot using the Bean Chili Mode: This automatically sets the timer to 30 minutes. Strain the channa and keep the channa water aside to use later.
2. Prepare the spice mix: In a bowl, add water and all the spices and mix well.
3. Temper the spices: In a wok, add ghee or oil and add the cumin seeds and allow them to splutter, followed by spice mix mixture and turmeric. Cook it on low heat continuously stirring it, until the oil separates.
4. Spice up the Channa: Add the cooked Channa, salt and garam masala and mix to coat the channa with the spices.
5. Add about 200 ml of channa water, stir and cook well on medium heat until the water evaporates. Garnish with chopped cilantro

Dietary Preferences

Halwa Puri Channa works for almost any diet.

Swap the ghee with oil to make it vegan.

Use a gluten free flour, to make puris.

Use jaggery or coconut sugar for those watching their sugar.

It's all about making tweaks so everyone can enjoy the spread.

Storage

Store Halwa and Channa in separate air tight containers in the fridge for upto a couple days.

Puris are best enjoyed fresh, however if you have leftovers, store them in zip lock bags at room temperature.

Reheat everything and it will be almost as good as fresh.

How to serve

Halwa Puri Channa are typically served in a thali.

If making it for prasad you can enjoy the trio as is or else you can even pair it with one of my favorites and it goes very well with this combo, rasse wale aloo, a potato curry.

FAQ

Feel inspired? Head to your kitchen and start preparing this enticing meal. And who knows? You might just start a new family tradition of your own.

Related

Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:

Pairing

These are my favorite dishes to serve with Halva Puri: