RAWALPINDI: It is common knowledge that no celebration is complete without sweets, but for those with a sweet tooth, dessert is a must after nearly every meal.

For those looking to break out of the usual kheer, barfi or ice cream, a variety of mithai are available at shops across the city, including favourites such as patisa and Habshi Halwa.

Habshi Halwa, also called Shahi Halwa, is a popular halwa in the Indian subcontinent that emerged during the Mughal era. While some say the dish is a Hyderabadi dessert favoured by the nawabs, others argue that it is from Punjab.

The halwa is made from wheat, milk, khoya, ghee, sugar and cardamom and garnished with pistachios and almonds. Technically a cold weather treat, due to its popularity, the mithai is available all year round.

The flaky patisa is also popular. Made from fine and wheat flour, ghee, milk, sugar and cardamom, patisa is served on special occasions. Traditionally from North India, patisa is known as soan papdi in Punjab and the adjoining desert areas.

The recipe is a particularly technical one. Fine and wheat flour are mixed to make a light dough, which is then fried in ghee in a large pan. The fried dough is soaked in a sugar syrup and, once cool, is shredded with forks.

The threads are poured onto a greased platter and rolled together, after which almonds and pistachios are added and the mixture is flattened with the palm of the hand before being cut into cubes.

Saddar, Commercial Market and Murree Road in the old city are known as the best places to find Habshi Halwa and patisa, where many shops selling mithai are thriving.

Sajjad Anwar, who owns a mithai store in Commercial Market said they make Habshi Halwa fresh throughout the year. “We use wheat and khoya and there is no dry milk or preservatives added to the mithai. We also use fresh milk,” he said.

Established in the 70s, he said his shop makes mithai using traditional recipes. “Our two most popular ones are Habshi Halwa and patisa, which are sold 12 months a year.”

“The patisa recipe is very technical, and it cannot be made without the supervision of a trained chef. The mithai is from Gujranwala, and so we follow the recipe of chefs from that area,” he said.

He said there are actually two kinds of patisa – one made from gram flour and another made from white flour. “Both are popular.

The ingredients are simple, and we just add some glucose syrup to the plain patisa to bind the threads,” he explained.

Hamza Naeem, a visitor at the shop, said he likes halwa after dinner, and always prefers Habshi Halwa. “It is easy to preserve for several days, compared to kheer or ras malai,” he added.

He said the halwa can be enjoyed warm and cold, and two slices are enough as dessert after a meal.

Saddar resident Ali Qureshi said Habshi Halwa is a good alternative to chocolate desserts like brownies, cakes or ice cream.

“After having so much chocolate, you need a break, and going for traditional mithai and halwa are the best options,” he said.

Westridge resident Abbas Malik said patisa and Habshi Halwa are his family’s favourites, and the halwa can be kept in the refrigerator all week. He said he usually prefers going to Saddar for his mithai fix, because the shops there are hygienic.

Published in Dawn, April 17th, 2017