What is moong dal halwa?
mung daal ka halwa or Mung dal jo sheero is a yum treat. It is a must for cold winters. This recipe is very popular in Rajasthan and other parts of North India. Rajasthan has very cold winters and very little vegetation in the olden days. Hence, such recipes were developed which used lentils, spices and grains instead of fresh produce.
You will find this famous Indian dessert recipe, served a lot at weddings. However, people find it difficult to make at home as it is a labor-intensive process. The traditional recipe of moong dal halwa takes much longer time to cook and needs a lots of patience.. The below recipe is a quick moong dal halwa recipe.
Yes, you read it right. You can make recipe of moong dal ka halwa without soaking. You can make sweets from lentils and veggies too. Most people love making gajar ka halwa , sooji halwa and atta halwa at home. However, this halva is just as tasty and easy to make.Both are a must at weddings. Hence, the fandom. However, making this is much easier as you do not need to grate carrots. You also do not even need the red carrot from market too.
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Benefits of halva
Making sweets out of split yellow lentils makes it beneficial for diet too. These are rich in proteins and also provides immunity. Ghee has its benefits for strengthening bones and teeth. This sweet is warm in nature and also provides heat to the body internally.
Especially in winters. I had rather eat halva than soup to keep warm. However, I do need to watch sugar too so sometimes soup it is 🙁 Kids love this and so do elders. It is very filling and great for tiffin too. It is rich in protein as well. Heat it just before you serve in a pan or microwave. You can even serve it with some fried poori.
Why is this an easy moong dal halwa recipe ? what makes it instant moong dal halwa recipe ?
Traditionally, it is made by grinding the soaked mung lentils while its wet and cooking with it. Cooking it from a wet mung daal is more tricky and takes more time.It needs to be cooked over low flame as it might stick and get burned. This makes it tedious process. You need to keep stirring and it takes a very long time.
In the below method, we wash the yellow mung lentils in advance. Dry them in sun and powder them. Then just cook like normal wheat or semolina one even mid-week. Hence, this is an easy recipe for moong dal halwa without soaking. This recipe for moong dal halwa is made with moong dal flour hence its an instant recipe as well.
Ingredients
- Yellow moong dal powder
- Sugar
- Ghee / clarified butter
- Full-fat milk+water mix
- saffron strands in warm milk
- Chopped nuts for garnish.
Equipment
- Spice grinder
- Frying pan
Step by Step Instructions
Read the below steps and refer to pictures to understand how to make moong dal halwa without soaking.
- In a steel/non stick pan, dry roast the powdered mung daal on low flame for 10-15 minutes. Add ¼ cup ghee and roast it further. Keep stirring with a spatula.
2. Continue to mix it and let it cook the dal mixture until it starts turning brown.
3. Now, Add the remaining ¼ cup ghee and continue cooking. If you like you may add teaspoon cardamom powder to it
4. After 5 minutes, add the warm milk water mixture and mix well.
5. Keep stirring until milk mixture is cooked on low flame.
6. As it starts to thicken, add sugar.
7. Stir continuously as it turns brown. Add the remaining ¼ cup ghee ,spoon by spoon while cooking.
8. It will start turning thicker and starts to come together.
9. Continue cooking, it will start getting more brown in color.
10. Once it starts coming together, ghee oozes out, that's when its ready.
Garnish it with nuts as per choice.
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Variations and substitution
In the above recipe. we wash the lentils and dry it in the sun for the whole day. Roast it for few minutes to remove any moisture. Powder it using a spice grinder and then cook it like any pudding. However, this ground lentil pudding can be made in various ways. Such is the versatility of Indian cuisine. You can make the same recipes in various ways. Some like to make it with condensed milk, while others add khoya or a cup mawa to it. Some even use jaggery instead of sugar. The above dessert is gluten free.
There is a similar recipe in the south Indian kitchen -Ashoka halwa which uses boiled mashed mung daal cooked with ghee sugar and spoonful of wheat flour or maida along with food colors. It was developed due to wheat shortage during WW2 in Thanjavur district. You can also make this recipe in an instant pot instead of a pan.
Storage
You can store it in an airtight container, in a refrigerator up to 1 week easily. Just heat it in a pan before you serve. You may also store this in the freezer for an extended period of time. For best result, always reheat this with little water/milk (after defrosting) and let the ghee ooze out.
How many variations are there for halwa?
There are many different types of halwa recipes in India. We make it from fruits, veggies, flour, grains, semolina and even lentils. Indian halwa recipes are secret weapon in the mummy's menu to celebrate any festive occasions. Here are some of the ones you can make easily when there is a special occasion.
- Sooji halva: Semolina pudding usually served during pooja, havan especially Satyanarayan pooja.
- Gur ka halva: suji halwa made with jaggery instead of sugar. Simple yet divine.
- Kada prasad: Atte ka halwa which is served as prasad in Gurudwaras. Simple divine dessert which makes you forget all your troubles.
- Gajarela: Carrot halva is great whether you are fasting or not.
- Pumpkin halva: Sweetness and softness of kaddu makes this kashi halva perfect companion to fried rajgira or kuttu poori during fasting period.
- Sama chawal halva: Made with barnyard millet. It is a gluten free recipe usually made during fasting periods.
- nachni halwa : made with ragi or nacho, finger millet and jaggery. It is very high in iron.
- Besan halwa: made with chickpea flour instead of whole wheat flour is a protein rich recipe. It is a step before you set it as besan barfi.
- Another great recipe is tahini halva which is a Middle eastern treat with sesame seed paste. Unlike other recipes this has a no cook version.
You may choose to serve halwa hot or pair it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Related moong dal recipes
Instant Moong dal halwa recipe
Equipment
- frying pan
- spice grinder
Ingredients
- ½ cup mung daal
- ¾ cup ghee /clarified butter ¼ is used in the end while cooking
- 2 ½ cup water -milk mixture (½ cup milk +2 cups water)
- ½ cup sugar add more as per taste
- 8-10 strands saffron strands / kesar
- 2 tablespoon Sliced nuts to garnish
Instructions
- Wash the dahl and dry it in the Sun for the whole day,powder it using a spice grinder.
- In a small bowl,add few strands of saffron and add 2 tbsp. cup warm milk to it.Keep it aside.
- In a steel pan/non stick pan , dry roast the lentils on low flame for 10-15 minutes.
- Add ¼ cup ghee and roast the lentils until it starts turning brown,add further ¼ cup ghee. Continue cooking for further 5-10 minutes until its light brown.
- Add warm milk+water mixture with saffron+milk very slowly
- Keep stirring until it is cooked on low flame and add sugar.
- It will start turning thicker,add the remaining ¼ cup ghee ,spoon by spoon while cooking
- Once it starts coming together, it will start releasing the ghee,thats when its ready
- Garnish moong dal sheera with sliced nuts.Serve warm
Notes
FAQ
Can we keep moong dal halwa in fridge?
Yes upto 10 days. Reheat before you consume.
Yes it provides heat and helps build immunity. This is the reason why it is ver y popular in Rajasthan during winter.
Conclusion: Fight the cold of the winter months with this decadent Indian dessert, Rajasthani moong dal halwa. Delicious halwa made with lots of ghee and golden brown dry fruits is perfect for special occasions.
Simran says
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7 star recipe