Badam Halwa

This is my mom's recipe for badam halwa and it is one of my favorites. It is pretty easy to make. I hope you like it as much as I do.
Ingredients:
1 cup raw almonds, soaked in water for 12 hours
sugar, same amount as the almond paste, please read below
ghee - 1 cup
saffron stands - a pinch or as required

Procedure:
Soak the almonds in room temperature water for atleast 12 hours. I prefer to soak it the previous night itself. Remove the peel. Many people suggest soaking the almonds in hot boiling water for a few minutes and then removing the peel. In my mom's opinion, the halwa is very soft only if you do not put the almonds in the hot water, I reserve my comments, you can try both methods and judge for yourself if there is any difference between the two methods.

Add a little bit of water, 2 tbsps at a time and grind to a fine paste. Do not add too much water, just add enough to make a fine paste.
Measure the paste. For every cup of paste, add a cup of sugar, ie. the amount of sugar and the almond paste should be the same.

Heat a thick bottomed pan, add the almond paste, sugar, saffron and start stirring well. Stir all the way to the bottom to make sure the paste doesnt stick to the bottom of the pan or burn. Continue stirring for about 30 minutes or so. Keep adding ghee 1-2 tbsps at a time. Keep adjusting the flame from high to medium to ensure proper cooking.
When the mixture thickens and starts separating from the pan, the halwa is done. Transfer immediately to a heat-safe container. Cover with a cloth until the halwa cools down completely.
This stays good for atleast 2 weeks at room temperature.

Vadai Curry - No fry method

Ingredients:
For the vadai:
2 cups yellow split peas (or) channa dal
7-8 red chillies (adjust as required)
2 tbsp corn flour (or) rice flour
pinch of asafoetida
salt, as required
curry leaves, 1 strand

For the curry:
Green bell pepper - 1 1arge, slit lengthwise and then cut into smaller pieces
Tomatoes - 2 large, chopped finely
Ginger - as required, grated finely
Garam masala - 1 tsp
Dhaniya powder - 1 tbsp
Cilantro - optional, as required
Oil for seasoning - 2 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Cumin - 1 tsp
Green chillies - 3 or 4 slit length wise (optional), if you like it hot
Water - 3-4 cups
Salt - as required

Procedure:

For the vadai:
Soak the dal in water for 2-3 hours, drain completely, add the red chillies and grind coarsely. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well.
Preheat the oven to 400F
On a baking tray, spread aluminium foil and coat with a non-stick cooking spray. Make small clusters from the ground vadai mix and place on the tray.
Bake in the lowest rack in the oven for 13-14 minutes. Then, place in the top most rack and broil at high for 3-4 mins.
Remove and keep aside.

For the curry:
Heat a thick bottom pan, add oil for seasoning and add the mustard seeds. When they crackle, add cumin seeds, grated ginger and green chillies and fry for a minute.
Now add the bell peppers and stir for a few more minutes. Add the chopped tomatos, stir and let cook completely.
While stirring, also try to mash the tomatos nicely.
When the tomatos are cooked completely, add the garam masala, dhaniya powder and 3-4 cups of water and let it come to a boil.
When this mixture boils, add the baked vadais and let it boil until the curry thickens.
Garnish with cilantro and serve hot with steaming idlis or by itself.

You will not miss the onions, the green bell peppers and the ginger add a nice flavor to this no onion no garlic vadai curry.