Moong Dal Halwa
A silky-smooth Indian sweet made from roasted moong dal flour, ghee, and milk, studded with cardamom and nuts. Rich, fragrant, and ready in under 40 minutes.
- Total time
- 40 min
- Servings
- 4
- Calories
- 520
- Protein
- 11g
Ingredients
- ¾ cup ghee (clarified butter)
- 1.5 cups moong dal flour (yellow mung bean flour)
- 2.5 cups whole milk
- ¾ cup sugar
- 6 whole green cardamom pods, crushed lightly
- ½ cup almonds and cashews, chopped (unsalted)
- ¼ cup raisins
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- 1
Lightly crush the 6 cardamom pods between your fingers or with the side of a knife to crack open the green shells and release the black seeds inside, then discard the shells and set the seeds aside.
- 2
Chop the almonds and cashews into 1/4-inch pieces by placing them on a cutting board and cutting each nut into 3–4 chunks, then pile them together and set aside.
- 3
Pour 0.5 cup of the ghee into a medium-sized heavy-bottomed pot and set the heat to medium.
- 4
Once the ghee is warm and shimmers when you tilt the pot (about 2 minutes), add the 1.5 cups moong dal flour slowly while stirring constantly with a wooden spoon to break up any lumps.
- 5
Continue stirring the flour in the ghee over medium heat for 10–12 minutes, scraping the bottom and sides of the pot regularly, until the mixture turns golden-brown and smells deeply nutty and toasted.
- 6
While the flour toasts, pour the 2.5 cups milk into a separate small pot and warm it over medium heat for 3–4 minutes until it steams gently but does not boil.
- 7
Once the dal flour is golden brown, remove it from heat and slowly pour in the warm milk in 3 additions, stirring vigorously with a wooden spoon after each addition to prevent lumps from forming.
- 8
Return the pot to medium heat, add the 0.75 cup sugar and 0.25 teaspoon salt, and stir continuously for 8–10 minutes, scraping the bottom and sides often, until the mixture thickens and pulls away slightly from the pot walls.
- 9
Add the cardamom seeds and the remaining 0.25 cup ghee, and stir for 1–2 minutes until the ghee is fully blended in and you see it beginning to separate slightly around the edges of the mixture.
- 10
Fold in the chopped almonds and cashews and the raisins using a rubber spatula, mixing gently until evenly distributed throughout the halwa.
- 11
Pour the warm halwa into a serving bowl or onto a plate and let it cool for 5 minutes before serving, as it will continue to thicken slightly as it cools.
Tools you’ll need
- medium heavy-bottomed pot with lid (3–4 quart capacity)
- small pot (2-quart capacity)
- wooden spoon
- rubber spatula
- cutting board
- sharp knife
- serving bowl or plate
Cook smarter
Get matched recipes for what’s in your fridge
CookSnap is a free iOS app that finds real recipes from the ingredients you already have. No more grocery-list aspirations.
