ASOKA HALWA / MOONG DAL HALWA

Hi friends,

Ashoka halwa or moong dal halwa is a traditional sweet made in south and north Indian cuisine. In Tamilnadu, the southern state of India, it is famous especially in the Thanjavur district and is popularly known as Ashoka. It forms an integral part of wedding feast.

Ingredients:

• Split moong dal - half a cup, soaked for 2 hours 
• Sugar - one cup 
• Clarified butter or ghee - ¼ - ½  cup, as required 
• Cardamom powder - 1 teaspoon 
• Cashews- 6 
• Water - 2 cups

Method:

• Pressure cook the moong dal with water till it is cooked well, approximately three wishes in a small pressure cooker 
• Mash the cooked dal and keep aside
• Alternatively, you can run it in a mixer grinder in pulse mode to mash it evenly
• Heat 1 tablespoon ghee or clarified butter in a pan 
• Add the cashews and fry them well and keep aside 
• Add 2 tbsp ghee or clarified butter to the same pan 
• Add the cooked dal and sugar
• Keep stirring well 
• Add ghee or clarified butter little by little till the Dal changes colour and separates from the pan 
• Add the cashews and the cardamom powder 
• Mix well 
• Serve hot

Tips:

• In case the Dal is not cooked well, you can use a hand blender to make it into a smooth paste 
• Some people add one tablespoon of Atta or wheat flour to the recipe to get a smoother consistency. Typically, the cooks who make it for the weddings add wheat flour in this recipe. In that case, you need to roast Atta on low flame in ghee or clarified butter and then add it to the halwa as you are stirring the dal and sugar

Please do try this recipe and enjoy the art of cooking!!!

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