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side close up shot of moong dal halwa in a black ceramic bowl
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Moong Dal Halwa Recipe

I am sharing with you an easy moong dal halwa recipe that you can make any time from scratch without spending hours in the kitchen.
Prep Time1 hour
Cook Time1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time2 hours 30 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Indian
Servings: 4
Calories: 592kcal
Author: Hina Gujral

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 1 Cup yellow moong dal (mung bean)
  • ¼ Cup almonds
  • ½ Cup ghee
  • 1 tablespoon gram flour (besan)
  • 1 tablespoon semolina (rava/suji)
  • 2 Cup full fat milk clarified butter
  • ½ teaspoon saffron (kesar)
  • 1 teaspoon green cardamom powder
  • Cup granulated white sugar
  • 2 tablesponn almonds + pistachio, sliced

Instructions

  • Rinse moong dal until water runs clear. Soak for 1 hour.
  • After 1 hour, drain all the water from the dal. Transfer it to a colander to drain all the liquid. Spread it in a single layer on a baking tray lined with a kitchen towel. Put this tray under the fan or sun for 10 - 15 minutes for dal to dry completely.
  • Once dal is dry to touch, transfer it to a wide pan. Dry roast over low to medium heat till it is light brown in color (refer to image/video). Keep stirring while roasting. Transfer to a blender. In the same pan, dry roast the ¼ cup almonds for 2 - 3 minutes. Transfer to the same blender as dal.
  • Grind roasted dal and almonds to a slightly coarse powder. Transfer to an airtight container to store or use immediately.
  • Next, soak saffron and cardamom powder in hot milk. Stir, and keep aside until ready to use.
  • To make halwa, heat ¼ cup of ghee in a heavy bottom wide pan/kadhai/casserole
  • Add gram flour, semolina, and roast for 2 - 3 minutes or till a sweet, nutty aroma is released.
  • Next, add dal badam powder. Mix nicely with ghee. Start roasting it over low to medium flame. After 5 minutes, it starts oozing ghee in the pan and turns deep brown in color. That is your cue to add milk.
  • Add in saffron infused milk, and 1 tablespoon of ghee. Continuously stir the halwa to avoid any lump formation and to make sure milk is absorbed by the dal paste. If there is spluttering and bubbling, cover the pan with a lid. Keep it that way for 1 - 2 minutes or till bubbling is settled.
  • Once the milk is absorbed by the halwa, add the leftover ghee, and the sliced nuts. Continuously stir and roast the halwa till ghee starts oozing from the sides. This is the signal that moong dal halwa is ready.
  • Garnish moong dal halwa with sliced almonds, pistachio, saffron, and edible silver leaf. Serve warm.

Video

Notes

  • Divide the ghee into two equal portions to be used at two different stages of cooking halwa. 
  • Combine hot milk, saffron, and cardamom powder. Do this step at the beginning itself so that the color of saffron is combined with the milk. 
  • Use fine rava (chiroti rava) and gram flour for this halwa. If you want to keep it gluten-free, skip adding semolina. 
  • ⅓ - ½ Cup of white sugar is enough for dal halwa. It's best to taste after adding sugar and if required, add more.  
  • Use a combination of sliced almonds and pistachio for garnishing the dal halwa. If you prefer, you can ghee roast the nut as well before slicing and adding to the ghee. 

Nutrition

Calories: 592kcal | Carbohydrates: 60g | Protein: 20g | Fat: 32g | Saturated Fat: 17g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 70mg | Sodium: 70mg | Potassium: 256mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 24g | Vitamin A: 299IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 186mg | Iron: 3mg