Wednesday, October 21

Moong Daal Halwa


Moong ki dal ka seera or halwa is a diwali special sweet, as its made as a bhog for prayers of divas on the eve of Deepawali in our marwari customs. This authentic Rajasthani recipe is very popular in winter in wedding dinners too. This was the first time i made it, as till now i never ever dared to make this labour intensive and high in calories sweet. I remember my mom making it, and her hands, red, after stirring it continously for so long (she used to make the delicious halwa in huge quantity, as we as kids used to love it, and needn't to be calorie consicious then)..

Every year i used to make the easy one, Aate ka halwa, in its place, but this year somehow decided to give it a try, though in a very small quantity. And believe me, all the effort it takes is worth it. It came out really delicious, and as i made it in less quantity, so it wasn't so much work too.. :)

Warning: This recipe needs a high amount of ghee and therefore ,should not be eaten in large amount.

Ingredients:

1 cup Dhuli Moong Daal (split yellow lentils without skin)
1 cup ghee (clarified butter)
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups water
3 pods green cardamom split
1/2 tsp Saffron, soaked in a little milk
1/2 cup khoya (/mava)
1/2 cup chopped mixed dried fruits

Method:

Wash the moong daal and soak it in plenty of water overnight.(or atleast 3-4 hours)
Grind the daal into a coarse paste without adding any water while grinding.
Prepare a sugar syrup of 1 thread consistency and add saffron strands and cardamom pods to the syrup. Cover and set aside.
Now, warm the ghee in a heavy-bottomed (can use non-stick) pan on a medium flame.
Add the moong daal paste to this ghee and stir to mix. Cook the moong daal, stirring frequently (almost continously) on a medium flame to avoid sticking at the bottom till it begins to turn golden brown and the aroma eludes.
This step takes time and energy, and one needs to be patient..;)
Now add the khoya (/mava) and mix well. Cook for another 2-3 minutes.
Finally add the sugar syrup (cardamom pods removed) and mix thoroughly. It gets softer after this.
Cook on a medium flame for 5-7 minutes, stirring frequently.
Lastly add the dried fruits and switch it off.
Garnish with chopped nuts and serve.



Tips:

If halwa is dry , as per ur taste, can add more water while making sugar syrup.
At last, if you feel its still a bit dry, can add milk to it too to get the desired consistency.
If initially the ghee is too hot, lumps may get formed, don't worry keep stirring and break the lumps.
In this recipe sugar is on a bit lesser side, can add more if u have a sweet tooth.
Since i didn't had the khoya i added 3-4 pieces of Haldiram's kesari peda(grated) into it. It gave a nice taste as well as color to it. But yep sugar needs to be adjusted accordingly..
It takes a long time and lot of patience to saute the dal and prepare this halwa, so don't rush up.
You can make a larger quantity of this recipe and store it refrigerated for several weeks. Just add a little milk to the halwa before reheating it.


*********
These are few other Diwali Farsans ,that i did made.. Chiwda, Mathri's, Nimki(or salted sakarparee), Dahi wade, Besan ke ladoo, Moong daal Halwa and lastly Haldiram's Kesari peda's..(ofcourse i can't make something so perfect)



Wishing all my readers a very Happy and prosperous Diwali ...

*******************************

Sending this to Diwali Dhamaka at Purva's Daawat.

48 comments:

Nithya said...

Wow.. the dish looks so appealing. yummy :)

Priya Suresh said...

Mouthwatering and tempting halwa..Hope u had a wonderful diwali..

Tina said...

Never tried this before....so colourful and different recipe....

Saraswathy Balakrishnan said...

Very yummy looking moong dal halwa

Neha said...

This halwa is really too yummy, just efforts are needed to make it and to resist the temptation to go on eating... :)

Deepthi Shankar said...

yummy halwa there

Myvegfare said...

moong dal is my favourite, I make savouries out of it but never tried this, very authentic, looks very colourful & gorgeous..must give it a try sometime, Once i make the khova

chakhlere said...

OMG!! That looks so yummy!!
Nice click!!

Rohini said...

Looks so delicious!!

Bhawna said...

Nice color, nice picture sure tastes great.

prasu said...

Yummy halwa dear..........collect ur awards from my blog dear.

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Vrinda said...

Never tried halwa with moong daal..perfect diwali sweet...yummm

ann low said...

Hello Neha,
Interesting blog you have. Will follow you...
Thanks for coming to my blog :D

pria said...

Hi, thanks for visiting my blog :)
u too hav a lovely blog in here. halwa looks yummy.
following u frm nw on.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the comment in my blog..knowing new blogger pals in so much fun..hoping to back for more.

Neha said...

Thanx Prasu for the Awards.

@Anncoo n Pria, you too have lovely blogs , n thanx for following..

@ munchcrunchandsuch, thanx for visiting, and same here..

Ushnish Ghosh said...

Dear Neha
Many thanks for dropping at my site. You have a lovely site ..and lot of exciting recipes.I will be visiting often and try some of your great recipes.

Preeti Kashyap said...

Thanks for dropping by Neha. Love you space...you recipes...your household tips. keep up the great work.

Dori said...

Healthy, sweet, and satisfying :)

Rush said...

have loved moong ka halwa whenever mom has made, however thought it was a little tricky to make...wud love to try ur recipe!!
Cheers!!

Namitha said...

This is new to me..very colorful...:-)

Suparna said...

yummy halwa :) it looks gorgeous, love the bowl too!
tc

Saraswathi Iyer said...

Hi Thank you for visiting my blog and leaving your nice comments. you have a great blog.

Ash said...

Hey,

This halwa looks very divine...& presented well too...

Kindly collect ur Beers to you!!!! award from my blog... :-)

thanks,

Ash....
(http://asha-oceanichope.blogspot.com/)

swarna said...

wow ..dish looks so tempting..
first time here .. pls do visit my site

cookeaze said...

Really rich and hearty looking preparation and these are so cute and delicious!Want to try and taste it out.

Priya said...

u are simply superb.. never tried this halwa..now that i have the recipe ,will surely try ...i am ur new follower now:)

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Home Cooked Oriya Food said...

lovely halwa...

Angie's Recipes said...

I have never tried this...actually it's new to me, looks and sounds very interesting.

my kitchen said...

Tempting halwa.Looks inviting

Andhra Flavors said...

looms tempting halwa and its a great method to make moong daal halwa.

Malar Gandhi said...

Looks yummm:) lovely presentation:)

notyet100 said...

feel like tryin this,..long time no pist how u dng

Amol said...

Wow!!
I will make my mom read this and prepare it for me...
Can't wait to taste this...

Ego-Centric said...

Yummy!! Will try this at home.

Malar Gandhi said...

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Unknown said...

Your recipes look wonderful ... I can't wait to try them out. I've subscribed through email so ... I will look forward to more recipes in my inbox.

Thank you!

Small Footprints
http://reducefootprints.blogspot.com

Simplyfood said...

This looks delicious will surely try it.

Myvegfare said...

hi nitya, back again to wish you and your family a very happy new year

MR said...

WOW !!
LOVELY PICTURE VERY FESTIVE

TestingSalesforce said...

Hey

THanks for the comments. Yours too look lovely. I am taking a break now as i am working towards my own website.WIll be back soon :)

Indranee Batabyal said...

Lovely recipe Neha! How r u doing?

Veggie Hut said...

Hey, I am a big fan of your blog.. with some inspiration I started mine.. I have some awards to share with you.
Please collect it from my blog.

Thanks

Jyoti

Anisheetu said...

yum yum.. halwa looks very very tempting....

subhashini said...

I just got ur blog name from other blog.Came across first time.very nice collections.
Love
Subhashini

Unknown said...

Hi..!!
WOW...its look so yummy..
Very Nice..

Robert White……
Cuisine Pakistan