Receta Royal Lentil and Almond Fudge
The moong dal or yellow lentils cooked over low heat makes a royal fudge or more commonly known as Moong dal halwa, a delicacy of India. Though we are not much fond of sweets but I must confess we are definitely halwa-holics especially in winters. My family simply loves it, so this halwa ranks on top of priority to be cooked over whole wheat, semolina or gram flour halwa. Since it is made of moong dal and almonds, both healthy and nutritious ingredients, so we dont mind indulging our sweet instincts in this rich sweet. My favorite Beena aunty gave me this recipe. Check out the details of this authentic rajasthani melt in mouth speciality -
Ingredients:
- Yellow Moong Dal (lentils): 1cup
- Almonds: 1 cup
- Besan(Gram Flour): 1 tsp
- Sugar: 3/4 cup or add more to taste
- Desi Ghee: 1 cup or add more if required to taste
- Saffron: few strands dissolved in warm milk
- Cardamom powder: 1/2 tsp
- Pistachio, Almonds : handful, sliced
Method:
Dry roast the lentils in nonstick pan for few minutes.
Let it cool down and soak the lentils and almonds in separate bowls overnight.
Take off the skin of the almonds in the morning.
Make a thick paste of almonds and lentils by adding little water or milk.
In a deep skillet, add ghee and a spoonful of besan, It helps in the better roasting and binding of the dal.
Add the lentil batter and keep stirring on low heat for few minutes till it starts changing color.
Gradually add the almond paste.
Now its time to add the sugar and give the batter quick stir again.
When the batter will stop sticking to the sides of the skillet, becomes light golden and leaves aroma, you know the halwa is done.
To make the halwa more rich add saffron strands dissolved in warm milk, preferably freshly crushed cardamom pods and sliced pistachio and almonds.
The rich and royal fudge/ halwa is ready to be relished after lazy sunday brunch.
An alternative way to make halwa in few minutes is to dry roast the lentils.
Cool and grind to make fine powder.
Follow simple halwa recipe.
First roast the lentils in ghee and add sugar syrup and nuts to make halwa.
The lentil powder can be prepared and stored ahead.
Tip: Cook the halwa on slow heat by constantly stirring. Milk can also be added to grind the lentils, enhances taste but water adds to the shelf life of halwa and can be kept in air tight container for few days.