India’s love for Halwa needs no new introduction. We make Halwas out of Gajar, Lauki, Sooji and many more. Food historians say that the ‘Halwa’ we know and love today is a derivative of ‘Halawa’ from lands of Arabia and Turkey. Halawa – The Turkish sweet is made of ground sesame seeds and honey.
Coming to sweet and humble Moong dal Halwa is a special dessert. This plant-based, gluten-free dessert is a delectable combination of moong dal cooked in ghee. This Halwa is also considered to be one of the most auspicious desserts in India and is often prepared for special occasions like Diwali and weddings.
This Halwa is prepared by roasting split Moong dal in oodles of ghee. The magic of this Halwa lies in its dominant ingredient – Moong. The perfect Moong Dal halwa depends on in how well you cook the lentil paste in ghee, until it oozes out its aromatic goodness. Milk, sugar, saffron and dry fruits add to the flavour of this decadent dessert. Try out the recipe below that is used by the chefs at Rayalseema Ruchulu.
Moong Dal Halwa (Serves 5)
Ingredients
200 gm – Moong Dal (Green Gram)
2 Cloves
1″ stick – Cinnamon
1 cup – Ghee
1 pinch – Saffron
1 litre – Milk
1 1/2 cup – Sugar
1/2 cup – Unsweetened Condensed Milk (Khoya)
4 – Cardamoms powdered
Garnish:
Silver Varak
Almonds
Cashew nuts
Raisins
Preparation:
Soak green gram in water for 6 hours, grind in a liquidizer.
Saute cloves, cinnamon in heated ghee on a low flame. Add Moong dal paste and cook. Meanwhile, add saffron in warm milk.
Keep stirring the dal, add milk to it and bring it to a boil till the milk is absorbed.
Add sugar cinnamon, saffron and cloves. Cook all of them together till ghee surfaces around the pan.
Add Khoya, mix it well and cook for 1 minute. Add powdered cardamoms in the end.
Serve warm and garnish the dish with silver varak, almonds, cashew nuts and raisins.