Warm, sweet and absolutely delicious, moong dal halwa is a treat for all senses. A traditional Indian dessert pudding made by roasting yellow moong dal in plenty of ghee and then cooking with milk, sugar, cardamom and lots of dry fruits.
Drain the soaked dal and grind to a fine paste adding a little water.
Heat ghee in a non-stick pan on medium-low heat and once the ghee is hot, slowly add the moong dal paste. I actually forgot the non-stick part and used a traditional kadhai but as soon as I started mixing the moong dal paste with the ghee, it started to stick and I had to transfer the contents to a non-stick pan.
In a separate pan, bring the milk and sugar to a boil. Keep aside.
Keeping the heat at medium-low, cook the moong dal paste in ghee till it becomes very granular and you can start to smell the aroma of roasted dal. You need to stir it frequently to ensure uniform cooking. Takes about 20 mins.
Slowly add the sweetened milk from a side. Be very careful in this step as the milk will sputter as you add it to the hot pan.
Dissolve saffron in 2 tbsp warm water.
Mix well and continue cooking at medium-low heat with frequent stirring till the entire milk is absorbed by the dal. Takes about 30 mins.
Add the saffron water, 1 tbsp cardamom powder and half of the dry fruits. Mix well and cook on low for another 15 mins till the halwa leaves ghee on the sides. Add the remaining cardamom powder.
Empty in a bowl and garnish with the remaining dry fruits.
Enjoy hot!
Notes
In place of sugar, you can also use jaggery. If using jaggery, grate it before adding to milk and stir it continuously till it dissolves well in the milk.
Moong dal halwa can be made a day in advance. It keeps well in refrigerator. Heat it before serving.