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.
Ingredients
- 1 cup moong dal (yellow lentils)
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup water
- 1 tsp cardamom powder
- 7-8 tbsp ghee
- 1 tbsp semolina
- 1 tbsp gram flour
- 1 tbsp chopped nuts
Instructions
- First take 1 cup of yellow lentils and rinse them in water twice or thrice. Soak them for at least 4 to 5 hours.
- Now drain the water and add the moong dal to the mixer grinder and make a fine paste.
- 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.
- When a boil has come and the sugar dissolves in water properly, turn off the heat. Keep it aside.
- Take a non-stick kadai on a medium heat. Add 7-8 tbsp ghee with 1 tbsp semolina and 1 tbsp gram flour. I add both ingredients because they help prevent stick moong lentils in a kadai.
- Stir them on medium heat until they have a light golden texture. It takes 2-3 minutes.
- Roast the semolina and gram flour until they have a golden texture like this.
- 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.
- 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.
- When it turns brown, add sugar syrup to it. If your syrup is hot, it simmers high, so add carefully.
- Cook and stir it continuously till the moong absorbs the sugar syrup properly.
- Now add chopped almonds and cashews to it. You can add more according to your taste.
- Mix very well and turn off the heat. Serve it hot or warm with a garnish of more nuts.
Notes
- 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.