Rajasthani Moong Dal Halwa

Rajasthani Moong Dal Halwa is an Indian dessert made with skinless split green gram. It’s a very rich and sweet with loads of ghee and dry fruits and is made especially for festivals or weddings. Here is how to make it.

Rajasthan has a repertoire of many wonderful recipes and since my dad is from the state, I got lucky to taste many of them in their unadulterated form.

From Ghevar to Balushahi to Mawa Kachori, there are numerous desserts that simply has no match in terms of taste and richness.

One such Rajasthani delicacy is this Moong Dal Ka Halwa.

Made in lots of ghee and topped with dry fruits, this halwa is definitely my weakness.

Also, this halwa needs a little effort and time and if not done right, it can be a disaster.

I learned to make this from my mother, who has literally mastered herself in making this delectable sweet.

My mom still makes Moong Dal Halwa recipe every year on Diwali, Holi, and any other special occasion, and just like our childhood days we still love to relish this sweet for days as it remains fresh for 8-10 days when kept in the refrigerator.

This Moong Ka Halwa requires lots of patience and muscle work and also lots of ghee to come together.

It also takes a long time to cook so be prepared for that. But I can assure you that the end result will be worth all the efforts.

Sometimes I make this Moong Dal Halwa without Khoya too, so if you don’t have access to Khoya, this recipe is perfect for you.

You can just skip adding it and follow the rest of the process similarly.

The end result will be almost the same.

So, if you have already drooled looking at the photo or at the mere thought of this Halwa, get the ingredients ready and treat your family with this delicious Halwa this weekend. 

In case, you are looking for more Halwa recipes, here are some – Bread Halwa, Lauki Ka Halwa, Rajgira Halwa, Carrot Halwa, Sooji Ka Halwa, Besan Halwa, Aate Ka Halwa.

About the recipe

It is an Indian dessert made with skinless split green gram which is also called yellow moong dal.

It’s a very rich sweet with loads of ghee and dry fruits and it is made in winter months for festivals or for weddings.

It does take a lot of time and effort to make this one, but it is all worth at the end when you take that first bite and it just melts in your mouth. 

Ingredients 

For this delectable Halwa, you will need Yellow Moong Dal, Sugar, Khoya, Ghee, Milk, Cardamom Powder, Saffron, Almonds and Cashew Nuts.

The cardamom powder and saffron add a delectable aroma with the flavor to this Halwa.

I have used Sugar, but you can also make this Halwa using jaggery.

You can add in other dry fruits too such as Pistachios, Raisins, etc. 

Process

To make Moong Dal ka Halwa, yellow moong dal is soaked in water for a few hours and then added in a food processor to make a coarse paste.

You can use the pulse mode of your mixer grinder to make a coarse paste.

Now heat ghee in a pan and add the dal paste to it and stir and cook on low flame and see dal turning golden brown.

Stirring is key to a good dal ka halwa and you should not compromise on this step.

Next up, add warm milk in the cooked dal and cook until all the milk is soaked and dal is softened.

Add the sugar and cardamom powder and fry on medium flame until dal ka halwa turns golden brown and ghee starts to ooze from the sides of the pan.

You cannot make a Moong Dal Halwa Recipe without enough ghee, enough time at hand, and lots of stirring.

So gear up your muscles and keep your diet plan on a back seat and just indulge on this halwa for special occasions. 

How to make it in Microwave?

To make it in the microwave, grind the dal and transfer it in a microwave-safe bowl along with ghee.

Micro at high for 5 minutes.

Stir the mixture and keep on cooking for 5 minutes, until all the water is evaporated and the dal turns brown.

Add milk and micro for 5 minutes. Add khoya and micro for another 5 minutes.

Now add sugar and cardamom powder and micro in batches of 5 minutes until the halwa turns brown and the ghee starts to separate.

Garnish with almonds and pistachios and serve.

How to make this halwa without Khoya?

To make Moong Dal halwa without Khoya, follow the below process and just skip the khoya.

The result with being a good tasting halwa which is slightly less rich than the real deal.

You can also make khoya using milk powder if normal khoya is not available and then use it in the halwa.

Read a detailed process to make Khoya from milk powder here.

Making it using Jaggery?

To make this halwa using jaggery, replace the sugar with grated jaggery.

Keep the remaining process the same.

Also, make sure to source the jaggery from a trusted source.

They add a lot of harmful chemicals in jaggery to make it look good but they are very harmful to the body.

So go for organic jaggery from a trusted source.

Pro Tips by Neha

This recipe is a labor of love, so repeat after me “there is no short cut to make this recipe”.

Roast the dal in ghee on low heat until it turns golden brown in color.

This step takes 25-30 minutes but trusts me it makes or breaks the halwa.

This halwa keeps good for a long time, so you can refrigerate it for up to 10 days.

To reheat the halwa, the best is using a microwave, but you can reheat it in a pan over the stovetop.

Sprinkle a tbsp of milk while heating.

My mom roasts the halwa after adding the sugar in the microwave. It reduces some of her muscle work.

You can also try the method. Follow the process until adding sugar.

Then transfer the halwa in a microwave-safe pan and micro for 10-15 minutes, stopping the microwave at every 5 minutes and stirring the halwa.

Do this until halwa becomes brown and ghee starts to ooze out from the sides.

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