Moong Dal Halwa
by Vaibhav Bhargava from Band Baja Barat restaurant
Come winters, the rich lentil pudding to leave you craving for more
Prep Time 6 hrs
Cook Time 1 hr
Total Time 7 hrs
INGREDIENTS QUANTITY
Moong dal 120gm
Desi ghee 125gm
Sugar 100gm
Full cream milk 500ml
Saffron strands a pinch
Green cardamom powder 5gm
Sliced assorted nuts 20gm
Water to grind the dal 50ml
Chandi ka vark (optional) for garnish
METHOD:
· Wash and soak the moong dal overnight. Drain the water and set aside. If you can’t soak the dal overnight, soak for at least 4 hours.
· Using your blender or food processor, grind the dal using very little water. I used around 3 tablespoons, start with 1 tablespoon and add more as required to grind.
· Meanwhile heat ghee in a pan on medium heat. Once the ghee is hot add the grind dal to the pan.
· Keep stirring and cooking the halwa on low heat. Keep mashing with a spatula so that there aren’t any lumps.
· Meanwhile heat 2 cups + 2 tablespoons of milk. Once the milk is warm, take out 2 tablespoons from it in a bowl and add saffron strands to it. Set aside.
· You have to cook on low flame till raw smell goes away and color changes a bit. This will take around 20 minutes and at 20 minutes you will also notice ghee oozing out of the sides.
· Once the dal is roasted, add the 2 cups warm milk to it. Cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring constantly.
· Now add the sugar, soaked saffron milk, crushed cardamom and chopped nuts.
· Cook on low heat; keep stirring every now and then. First it will be all liquid-y as the sugar melts.
· Keep stirring till halwa leaves sides of the pan, around 15-20 minutes.
· Remove heat from pan, transfer halwa to serving bowl, garnish with some nuts and serve immediately!
