Baked Mango & Coconut Halwa

Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan / 350°F). Lightly grease a 20cm square baking dish or a shallow ovenproof dish of similar size with a little coconut oil. Peel and roughly chop the mangoes, then blend the flesh to a completely smooth purée — you need 300g of purée, so weigh it after blending. Use the ripest, most fragrant mangoes you can find; Alphonso or Kesar varieties give the most intense flavour and a beautiful deep golden colour. If using tinned Alphonso mango pulp, measure out 300g directly. The quality of the mango is the single biggest factor in the flavour of this halwa, so do not use under-ripe fruit.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the mango purée, desiccated coconut, coconut cream, caster sugar, melted coconut oil, rice flour, ground cardamom, saffron water (including the strands), and a pinch of salt. Whisk everything together until completely smooth and well combined — the batter should be thick, glossy, and a vivid golden-orange from the mango and saffron. Taste the batter at this stage and adjust the sugar if needed; the sweetness will mellow slightly during baking, so it should taste pleasantly sweet now. The rice flour acts as a gentle binder, giving the baked halwa its characteristic fudgy, sliceable texture rather than a soft pudding.

Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish and spread it into an even layer with a spatula. Bake in the preheated oven for 30–35 minutes until the halwa is set — it should no longer wobble in the centre when you gently shake the dish, and the top should be lightly caramelised and golden with slightly darker edges. A skewer inserted into the centre should come out with just a few moist crumbs, not wet batter. The halwa will firm up considerably as it cools, so do not overbake — a slightly soft centre at this stage is fine. Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the dish for at least 20 minutes before cutting.

Once cooled to warm or room temperature, cut the halwa into neat squares or diamonds — the traditional shape for Indian sweets. Scatter the chopped pistachios generously over the top, pressing them very gently into the surface so they adhere. Add a pinch of dried rose petals and a few extra saffron strands or a touch of edible gold leaf if you want a festive, celebratory finish. Serve warm as a dessert with a scoop of coconut ice cream alongside, or at room temperature as a sweet treat with chai. The halwa keeps well covered at room temperature for up to 2 days, or refrigerated for up to 5 days.