As the poppy seeds blend with ghee in delicate proportions, kasakasa halwa is ready at JKR Homely Foods, retaining its culinary tradition and nostalgia. With its nutty nuance, the grainy kasakasa slowly melts into the palate with the essence of ghee that lingers for some time. Srinivasan, the shop’s owner, has interesting stories about this particular halwa, a traditional dish he learned from his ancestors. Selling it for more than five years, he reminisces about its rich legacy, which is still unfamiliar to the public.
With a history as sweet as its flavour, this time-honoured recipe involves meticulous steps, from soaking and grinding kasakasa to the precise moment of adding sugar and ghee. It is still prepared and preserved in the traditional way without a change in its recipe that has graced palates of more than five generations.
Curious case it was, as this traditional dish was never found among the mainstream food kiosks or confectioneries. Only a few people know about it despite its long history. On inquiring about its limited presence, Srinivasan speculates this exclusivity is a deliberate effort rooted in food politics or an intentional desire to keep the recipe behind closed kitchen walls, possibly guarding the temperature maintenance as a valuable business secret.
