Ashoka Halwa

June 25th 2011

The origin behind the desire to make this halwa came from more than one source raving about how awesome it was. I am at a lack to know if this was a total success because of the fact that I have no memory of how the original Ashoka halwa is supposed to taste. Nevertheless this tasted very good and until my next trip to India and an order of this dish..this recipe will have to suffice :)

Time: 30 min (preparation) 20 min (making)

Difficulty level: Easy - Medium

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Green Gram dal (Moong dal)
• 1 cup wheat flour
• 4 cups sugar
• 2-3 pinches Kesari color/powder
• 1 to 1 1/2 cup ghee
• 1 to 2 pinches elachi/cardamom powder
• 1 tbsp cashewnuts fried in ghee

Method de Preparation:

1. Wash the moong dal and cook it well in a pressure cooker (equivalent of 3 whistles) with 1:3 water.
2. Once done take it out and mash it.
3. Take a nonstick saucepan, add a little bit of ghee. Once warm add the wheat flour and fry till raw smell goes and you get a nice aroma.
4. Add the cooked, smashed moong dal and continue to saute till both are cooked well.
5. Allow to cook some, add the kesari color and the sugar and continue to stir in medium flame.
6. Continue to add ghee and when you see the halwa solidify and leave the sides of the vessel, add cardamom powder, fried cashew nuts and the remaining ghee and stir well. Remove from heat. Transfer to a greased bowl or serve directly.

Chef's Tips:

• Next time, I would probably add some milk with the moong dal while cooking, so instead of all water maybe 1:1:2 dal:milk:water ratio. However this does reduce the shelf life of the sweet.
• Also cook the moong dal till it is well done and no raw smell remains else you will end up with a halwa that is slightly raw :)

Source: I checked out recipes from here, here and here.