Ashoka halwa or Moong dal halwa

Ashoka halwa or Moong dal halwa

Ashoka Halwa is a popular tamil sweet which is popular by name Moong dal Halwa in North, as it contains moong dal and ghee, it is also a healthy food for the children, you can see this sweet  in most of the tamil marriage menus along with morning tiffin.  

Ingredients: 

1. Moong Dal - 1 cup
2. Sugar - 1 + 1/2  cup
3. Wheat flour - 1/4 cup
4. Water - 2+1/2 cup 
5. Ghee - 2 cup
6. Cashew nuts - As required 
7. Saffron   - one pinch
8. Cardamom powder  - one pinch  

Method 

Take a Kadai and heat the moong dal till it becomes brown, then cool it  and cook it in a pressure cooker for 5-6 whistles till is cooked well and becomes soft. Mash it with a laddle.
Heat the wheat flour with ghee till it turns brown, mix a little water and make a paste out of it and keep it aside.  

Take the cooked Moong dal , mix it with sugar and boil it in a pan, now add the wheat flour paste to this and boil it in low flame and keep stirring it for 30 minutes 

You can add up saffron in the middle, if you want more color add kesari powder, when the halwa become thick and comes without sticking the sides of the pan (about 30 minutes), spray the cardomom powder and spread the cashew roasted in ghee and remove from the flame. Serve it hot

Note: The quality of ghee is very important for the best results of this halwa, better we buy  good butter and make ghee out of it.