A North Indian delicacy I have been wanting to try for a very long time. My first attempt a few years ago turned into a sweety lump not cooked properly. Since then I feared trying this for want of a good step by step recipe.
This dish always fondly reminds me of the few months I spent in Gurgoan and various delicacies I had the opportunity to savour
So one more final attempt today and results seem amazing.
Ingredients
Moong dal - 1 cup (washed and soaked) roughly 100 gms
Ghee - 6 to 7 tbsp. roughly 100 ml
Sugar - 1 & 1/4 cups
Milk - 1 cup (preferably whole fat - though I used skimmed milk)
Water - 2 cups
Cardamom powder - 2 tsp
Method
1) Wash and Soak the moong dal in enough water overnight of for 4 to 5 hours. I soaked it overnight.
2) Drain and then grind the moong dal to a smooth paste with no or very little water.
3) In a pan melt the ghee.
4) Add the ground moong dal to the ghee.
5) At the same time add sugar , water and milk in a vessel and keep it to boil. Keep the flame on low so that by the time the dal is cooked , the milk will be ready to use.
6) Now starts the crucial stage of the recipe. Cooking the dal from a lumps stage to an almost grainy stage. It is better to use a non stick pan as any other will give problems. For a person familiar with Indian cooking the dal has to reach a rava like consistency.
7) Keep on stirring the halwa on a low to medium flame. The raw aroma of the moong dal has to go away completely before you start with the next step. so till then you have to stir and cook the halwa. First the halwa is pasty, then starts getting lumpy and then starts breaking down and getting separated with ghee releasing from the sides. In the picture below the halwa is at a stage where it resembles sooji halwa but still with the raw aroma of the moong dal.
8) You have to keep stirring in between. Don't forget the milk - water mix in the other pan. Keep stirring that as well. If it boils before shut the flame and keep it covered till ready to use.
9) Meanwhile the moong dal has got separated. It will now have a granular consistency. The aroma & color has also changed and the fat has separated.
10) Add the cashew nuts at this stage and fry along with the dal.
11) Then pour the boiling hot milk mixture to the fried moong dal. Keep the flame on low as the mixture will sizzle when hot milk is added. As soon as you add the milk the ghee will start floating on top.
12) Stir well. Simmer and cook stirring often. At this stage you may feel that the liquid is too much. But be rest assured that all this will be absorbed. Here add 1 tsp cardamom powder and mix well.
13) The liquid will get absorbed and once again you will see the ghee getting separated. At this stage add the remaining cardamom powder and mix well.
14) The whole process takes about an hour to complete. You have to keep constantly stirring ..you can take little breaks though but cant take your eyes off the dish. However the results will be fulfilling.
Serve the halwa hot.
You can add a dollop of vanilla or banana icecream on top. It will enhance the taste.
This dish always fondly reminds me of the few months I spent in Gurgoan and various delicacies I had the opportunity to savour
So one more final attempt today and results seem amazing.
Ingredients
Moong dal - 1 cup (washed and soaked) roughly 100 gms
Ghee - 6 to 7 tbsp. roughly 100 ml
Sugar - 1 & 1/4 cups
Milk - 1 cup (preferably whole fat - though I used skimmed milk)
Water - 2 cups
Cardamom powder - 2 tsp
Method
1) Wash and Soak the moong dal in enough water overnight of for 4 to 5 hours. I soaked it overnight.
2) Drain and then grind the moong dal to a smooth paste with no or very little water.
3) In a pan melt the ghee.
4) Add the ground moong dal to the ghee.
5) At the same time add sugar , water and milk in a vessel and keep it to boil. Keep the flame on low so that by the time the dal is cooked , the milk will be ready to use.
6) Now starts the crucial stage of the recipe. Cooking the dal from a lumps stage to an almost grainy stage. It is better to use a non stick pan as any other will give problems. For a person familiar with Indian cooking the dal has to reach a rava like consistency.
7) Keep on stirring the halwa on a low to medium flame. The raw aroma of the moong dal has to go away completely before you start with the next step. so till then you have to stir and cook the halwa. First the halwa is pasty, then starts getting lumpy and then starts breaking down and getting separated with ghee releasing from the sides. In the picture below the halwa is at a stage where it resembles sooji halwa but still with the raw aroma of the moong dal.
8) You have to keep stirring in between. Don't forget the milk - water mix in the other pan. Keep stirring that as well. If it boils before shut the flame and keep it covered till ready to use.
9) Meanwhile the moong dal has got separated. It will now have a granular consistency. The aroma & color has also changed and the fat has separated.
10) Add the cashew nuts at this stage and fry along with the dal.
11) Then pour the boiling hot milk mixture to the fried moong dal. Keep the flame on low as the mixture will sizzle when hot milk is added. As soon as you add the milk the ghee will start floating on top.
12) Stir well. Simmer and cook stirring often. At this stage you may feel that the liquid is too much. But be rest assured that all this will be absorbed. Here add 1 tsp cardamom powder and mix well.
13) The liquid will get absorbed and once again you will see the ghee getting separated. At this stage add the remaining cardamom powder and mix well.
14) The whole process takes about an hour to complete. You have to keep constantly stirring ..you can take little breaks though but cant take your eyes off the dish. However the results will be fulfilling.
Serve the halwa hot.
You can add a dollop of vanilla or banana icecream on top. It will enhance the taste.
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