Moong Dal Halwa with Ghee, Cardamom and Pistachios
Lalkila Kitchen · Vegetarian · Desserts · North Indian cooking · Festivals · Diwali
This halwa begins with soaked yellow moong, ground and slowly roasted in ghee. Its flavour comes from that roasting stage, before milk and sugar are added. It is a rich sweet associated with North Indian celebrations, included here as one option among the many sweets families prepare for occasions.
Ingredients
- 1 cup split yellow moong dal
- Water for soaking
- ¼–⅓ cup water for grinding
- 9 tablespoons ghee
- 1 cup whole milk
- 2 cups water
- 1 cup sugar
- ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
- 5 pistachios and 5 blanched almonds, chopped
- 1 tablespoon golden raisins
Method
- Soak rinsed dal for 4–5 hours. Drain and grind smooth with the grinding water.
- Melt ghee in a heavy, well-seasoned or nonstick pan. Stir in the paste.
- Cook over medium-low heat, stirring and breaking lumps, until the raw smell disappears and the mixture becomes golden, granular and fragrant.
- Separately heat milk, 2 cups water and sugar, stirring until dissolved; bring to a boil.
- Carefully add the hot liquid to the roasted dal, standing back from splashes. Stir and simmer until absorbed and ghee separates again.
- Mix in cardamom, nuts and raisins.
Cooking notes
Do not judge readiness by the clock alone. The paste needs to lose its raw-lentil smell and become grainy before the liquid goes in. Use a pan large enough for vigorous bubbling when the hot milk mixture meets the ghee-roasted dal.
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Source and adaptation
Adapted from Dassana Amit, Dassana’s Veg Recipes, Moong Dal Halwa. Original recipe.
Uses a mixture of the source’s almond and pistachio options. Directions are rewritten, with no kitchen-testing claim.
This is an editorial adaptation, not kitchen-tested by Lalkila. FoodSafety.gov cooking temperatures and safe food handling provide the safety references. The featured image is a generated illustration of this recipe.