Badam Ka Seera- The belated blogger!

I'm such a lazy blogger. Its a shame, because when I do make something, I get so very excited about it and take pics, make every single person who eats what I make, dissect it and give me full deets..and then I do nothing about it.
Everyone who knows my love for cooking (and those who follow my blog) knows that I don't do desserts. I just cannot bake. At one point I used to bake Apple Pie and Banana bread, and I can't even do those anymore. (I converted the last batch of banana bread to banana bread-nut-icecream and forced my dad to eat it..he ate an entire litre plus!). I  can make cheesecake, no churn ice-creams aaaaaad..that's about it. So during Ganpati, when Suh said she wanted Badam ka Seera, I thought what better time to make everyone, including my favourite Fat Man, guinea pigs.

My Ma likes Suh and I to make something during the 1 1/2 days that we get Ganpati home and this was my offering (Suh helped me peel so well..our offering). Its easy to make, but time consuming, and its honestly such a fabulous dessert, nutty,wholesome and divine. Not exactly fat free, but surely less fattening than the ones you get commercially.

Ingredients:

1 1/2  Litre + 1/2 cup Full Fat Milk
1 1/2 cups Almonds
1/2 Cup Sugar (or as per taste)
4-5 Tbs of Ghee
Few Strands of Saffron seeped in 2 Tbs warm milk
2 Pods Cardamom (just whack them once with the pestle to release the fragrance)
A pinch of Whole wheat atta ( roti  atta)
1 Tbs almond slivers for garnishing.

Method:

Soak the Almonds for around 6-7 hours, so that its easy to peel the skin off.This is annoying and tedious but its gotta be done.
Grind the almonds with 1/2 cup milk to make a thick paste.
In a deep dish, on slow flame, let the milk thicken to half its consistency. Don't boil it. (I don't know the rationale, but since Didi (being the Masi/Second Mother and General do gooder who I go to when I need to bribe the Gods) and Badi mumma said so, it must be correct.
Simultaneously, in a nonstick dish, warm the ghee on slow flame, add a pinch of the wheat atta (this gives  the Seera a lovely brown colour) and then add the almond paste. Keep mixing continuously..like seriously working those arms. It will go from a white paste to a thick brown paste and finally once all the liquid dries up it will be like a coarse powder (like erm...crumbled biscuit and butter when rubbed together). Be careful as it can go from brown to burnt real quick.
The milk should've halved by now. Add the almond powder-thing, cardamon and sugar and mix well. Keep mixing till it thickens and is a nice brown colour (it may look like a thickened gluggy porridge, but don't worry it tastes incredible). Add the saffron and mix. Get it off the gas and garnish with almond slivers (which as you can see, are not really slivers.. but that's coz its me. You please use slivers and make your food pretty!). Eat hot.Eat lots..and then Go run.