Sri Prema Vilas
by Pappu Singh
Gangaram Singh, belonging to a family from Punjab, set up Prema Vilas in Madurai in 1954. He mastered the art of making super soft halwas – right from extraction of milk from wheat berries to careful stirring of the milk extract with sugar, it takes about 2 days for the preparation. The luscious glaze of the halwa comes from caramelization of sugar and addition of ghee. Overnight fermentation of the wheat milk is said to be the secret behind its unique taste. Gangaram once took a picture of his granddaughter slurping a blob of halwa and made it the logo for the brand. “We belong to the family from Punjab that introduced the Halwa to Tirunelveli,” says Sashidharan Singh from the third generation. This tasty sweet is procured from “Sri Prema Vilas”, which is a partner establishment of “Prema Vilas.”