Desserts and Sweets

Moong Dal Halwa

On November 9, 2011 by

This is a delicious, decadent sweet dish made from lentils and if you are calorie-conscious, you should stop reading right now! Really, don’t look at the ingredients (read ghee) and the amount! Moong Dal means skinless yellow gram and the halwa is prepared by grinding the lentils and then cooking it in milk and ghee or clarified butter. The sign of well-prepared halwa is the tempting aroma, the golden brown colour and that the ghee oozes out with every bite. Some people add a little khoya while making the halwa and it tastes great, but I have used the traditional recipe. Although it takes time to make it and requires constant stirring (my hand still hurts), it is otherwise easy to prepare and consists of very few ingredients. It is ideal for parties during winters since it is a “hot” and rich sweet dish. I personally used to eat it all throughout the year. You can reduce the amount of ghee if you want but it won’t really taste the same because the lentils get toasted in the ghee and that’s what gives it a unique taste. Make small amounts and indulge yourself once in a while!
Prep time: 3 hours (for soaking) Cooking time: 50 minutes Serves:10
Ingredients:
Moong Dal: 1 ½ cup
Ghee: 3/4th cup
Sugar: 1 ½ cup
Milk: 1 cup
Water: 1 cup
Cardamom powder: 1 tsp
Condensed milk or Khoya (optional): 1/4th cup
A few strands of saffron (optional)
Method:
1) Soak moong dalfor at least 3 hours. Drain the water and grind into a smooth paste.
2) Heat ghee in a pan and fry the moong dal paste on medium with a pinch of cardamom powder. Keep stirring continuously for at least 25 minutes or till the lentils start getting brown.
At this stage, the dal may look crumbly. That’s ok, when we put water and milk, it will turn into a sticky paste.
3) Add milk and condensed milk or khoya (optional) and keep stirring. (This dessert really requires a lot of upper arm strength; it’s like making meringue without an electronic beater!)
4) When the milk mixes with the lentils and dries up, add the sugar and ya — Keep Stirring!!
 
5) Add water and increase the stove heat to medium high. (If you have saffron, soak some in water for a few minutes and add it at this stage). Stir for another 10 minutes till the water is completely absorbed and the consistency becomes sticky. The gorgeous aroma of the lentils at this stage will let you know that the halwa is cooked.
6) Remove from heat and sprinkle some chopped toasted almonds or other dry fruits on top. Serve hot.
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Meghalee Das is a former journalist, who occasionally writes as a freelancer. She loves traveling, camping, hiking, kayaking, gardening and of course, cooking. Currently she is doing her MBA from Texas State University and updates her blog whenever she gets the time!