Moong Dal Halwa

Moong Dal Halwa is a traditional Indian dessert with moong lentils, ghee, sugar, and cardamom powder, garnished with chopped nuts. Its taste is rich, creamy, and sweet. This halwa is heavy in texture, but one thing made it special, i.e., full of aromatic flavour. It is a delicious sweet dish. If you try it, you want more & more of it.

About Moong Dal Halwa

Moong dal halwa is made with moong lentils roasted in ghee, with adding sugar syrup or cardamom powder, then garnished with chopped nuts.

Moong dal halwa is a north Indian dessert that is occasionally prepared for weddings, Holi, Diwali, or birthdays. This halwa is so delicious that no one says no to this if anyone tries. I feel it is an addictive and mouth-watering sweet dish.

Moong dal is basically of two types: whole green grams or split grams. This halwa is prepared with two methods, one is we make lentil powder in a mixer grinder, and the second is we soak lentils for 3-4 hours or overnight & make a fine paste, then roast in ghee.

I like to prepare it with sugar and water syrup. But milk also works well in this recipe. Some people also add khoya to the halwa for a richer taste. I will show you the simplest method that I use.

This moong dal halwa is a time-consuming process. So when you have time or energy, you can try this recipe. But I am sure your efforts do not go away; you will be happy and satisfied when you prepare and try this.

Other halwa recipe: Suji halwa

(Step-by-Step)

How to make Moong Dal Halwa

Preparation

1. First take 1 cup of yellow lentils and rinse them in water twice or thrice. Soak them for at least 4 to 5 hours.

2. Now drain the water and add the moong dal to the mixer grinder and make a fine and smooth paste.

Make sugar syrup

3. First take one cup of water, one cup of sugar, and 1 tsp cardamom powder in a pan on medium heat. Wait until it comes to a boil.

4. When a boil has come and the sugar dissolves in water properly, turn off the heat. Keep it aside.

Make moong dal halwa

5. Take a non-stick kadai on a medium heat. Add 7-8 tbsp ghee with 1 tbsp semolina and 1 cup gram flour. I add both ingredients because they help prevent stick moong lentils in a kadai.

6. Stir them on medium heat until they have a light golden texture. It takes 2-3 minutes.

7. Roast the semolina and gram flour until they have a golden texture like this.

8. Now add moong dal paste to a kadai and turn the flame from medium to low. Stir it continuously till the moong dal texture turns light brown.

9. It takes a minimum of 18-20 minutes to roast moong dal on low heat. We roast it on a low flame because if we roast on high heat, there is a chance of lumps in the moong dal.

10. When it turns brown, add sugar syrup to it. If your syrup is hot, it simmers high, so add carefully.

11. Cook and stir it continuously till the moong absorbs the sugar syrup properly.

12. Now add chopped almonds and cashews to it. You can add more according to your taste.

13. Mix very well and turn off the heat. The moong dal halwa is ready. Serve it hot or warm with a garnish of more nuts.

Tips

• The important key is here, continuously stirring the halwa and roasting it on low heat, because if we roast on high heat, there will be chances of lumps in the moong dal mixture.

• Use a non-stick pan/kadai for making this moon dal halwa. It helps prevent sticking to the mixture in the kadai.

• Always soak lentils for a minimum of 4-5 hours for this recipe. It helps to soften the lentils and makes a smooth and fine paste.

• I add 1 cup of sugar, which is good enough. If you have a sweet tooth, then add more.

• I use water here, but you can use full-fat milk instead of water. Or you can use a water and milk mixture. If you use milk, it helps to give more richer taste to the halwa.

• Good quality ghee is essential to make this recipe. I use homemade ghee here, but if you use store-bought, check the quality before buying.