Moong Dal Halwa or Moong Dal Sheera is a melt-in-the-mouth and incredibly delicious dish. This Rajasthani dessert is pure bliss. It is one of the lengthy recipes, but it’s utterly worth it in the end.

This Mag Ni Dal No Sheero is a cuisine of Rajasthan, a state in northern India. It is a trendy dessert on the menu of Indian weddings.

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About Moong Dal Halwa
Ingredients
Step by Step Directions
Serving Suggestions
Reheating The Moong Dal Halwa
How To Know If Halwa Is Ready Or Not?
Helpful Tips
More Dessert Recipes
Recipe Card

About Moong Dal Halwa

Moong Dal Halwa, also known as Moong Dal Sheera or Rajasthani Halwa, is very popular at Indian weddings. Although it is a time-consuming recipe (but it’s worth it, believe me), that is why people love to have it in the marriage rather than making it at home. But once you crack the right recipe, it is incredibly easy to make at home.

This Halwa is from scratch; you will see the soaked Dal turning into a drooling dessert. The whole procedure is fantastic; the Halwa will keep changing the textures and colors throughout the process. I have included step-by-step instructions with pictures; do not miss that.

This Halwa is not an instant recipe. It takes almost an hour and lots of muscle work to have a decadent dessert on the plate.

But if we look at the ingredients (only six elements), this recipe seems very simple. It is a mixture of Ghee, lentils, sugar, and milk. We add cardamom powder and nuts for flavor and more nutrition and crunch. At the same time, saffron strands will provide excellent color and aroma to the Halwa.

Ingredients

Moong Dal (Yellow Split Lentils): This Halwa is made of yellow moong dal, known as skinned and split yellow lentils. This Dal is highly versatile, and we can make different dishes, from light appetizers to delicious desserts. We can make a light meal like Khichadi to this heavy and delicious Moong Dal Halwa. You can check these recipes, Mixed Dal Fry Tadka and Moong Dal Tadka, where I have used yellow Moong Dal.

Yellow lentils are very nutritious and a good source of protein, vitamins, minerals, and dietary fiber. In addition, it is low in fat and easily digestible.

If you are looking for more healthy recipes with lentils, it’s here:

Ghee (Clarified Butter): This Sheera is heavy on Ghee. Generally, lots of Ghee separates from Halwa after making it. And that is how you will get it at a wedding or other occasions. But we can also make it using less amount of Ghee. That way, you will not get too much of Ghee at the end, but Halwa will still be very lustrous.

I have used ¾ Cup of Ghee, but if you want, add 1 cup or more Ghee to this Sheera. Initially, Moong Dal will soak all the ghee; in the end, it will separate some of it. But with ¾ Cup of Ghee, you will not get much-separated Ghee. But there will be no change in the texture or taste. So even with less Ghee, Halwa will come out very delicious. But do not use less amount than this because Ghee is an essential part of the Rajasthani Halwa.

Milk: I have used 2% milk in this recipe. But use whole milk if you prefer that, or that is what you always use. We need 1 & ¾ Cups of milk in this recipe, and we can use 1 & ½ Cups of milk and ¼ cup of cream. I have made this Halwa both ways, using only milk and with a combination of milk and cream. So I would recommend adding ¼ cup of cream to get more richness from this Halwa.

We are not using Mawa or Khoya in this recipe, so adding a little cream will make this Halwa rich and luscious. But again, you can also use just milk, and Halwa will still be amazingly delicious.

Sugar: I would say that people have mostly different preferences for sweetness when it comes to desserts or sweets. My family and I prefer sugar in very moderation. I have used ¾ Cups + 2 tablespoon of sugar in this recipe. But you can add 1 Cup of sugar or more as per your taste. So first, add ¾ cup of sugar, mix, and taste. Then, if you need sweeter, add more sugar as per your requirement.

It is not that we can add sugar just once. Instead, we can taste the Halwa after the sugar is dissolved and add more sugar if needed.

Nuts: I have added chopped almonds to the Halwa and then garnished it with chopped pistachio and almonds. But you can go with your preferences and use almonds, pistachios, cashews, raisins, and/or Chironji (Charoli).

Cardamom Powder: A pinch of cardamom powder can add a beautiful flavor to the Halwa. So it is highly recommended, but you can skip it if you do not prefer it or do not have it.

Step by Step Directions

Pick the excellent quality of Moong Dal for this recipe.
Rinse the dal thoroughly with water and soak it for at least 4-6 hours.

Drain the water completely from the Dal.

Take the drained Dal into a blender jar or grinder jar.
You might need some water to grind this Dal; add only 2-4 tablespoon of water if required.

Grind the Moong Dal into a smooth paste.
If you like the grainy texture of Halwa, then make the paste a little coarse.

Heat Ghee in a non-stick Kadai or frying pan.
I would highly recommend using non-stick cookware because we will need to stir it continuously.
So, we do not want this Halwa to stick to the bottom and to do extra muscle work.

Once the Ghee starts melting, add Moong Dal paste and start mixing immediately.
The process should be swift and make sure there are no lumps.
We have to cook this Halwa on low to medium flame the whole time.

Moong Dal will soak all the Ghee within two minutes, and it will become a massive lump.
The mixture will be very hard, but just keep stirring.

After a few minutes, Moong Dal will start separating from a lump.
Continue stirring on low to medium flame.

After 15-20 minutes, Halwa will start getting lighter and will start to change color.
Continue stirring on low to medium heat.

After almost 30 minutes in total, Halwa will change color to a light golden brown.
It will also feel significantly more lightweight, and Ghee will start to separate.
Add chopped almonds into Halwa and mix well. Continue roasting on low to medium heat.

Meanwhile, put the milk into a saucepan, add saffron strands, mix, and heat until it starts simmering.

After almost 35-40 minutes, the Ghee will separate from the Halwa, as you see in the picture below.
Also, the color will be golden brown.
There will be no raw smell of Moong Dal, and the mixture will be very lightweight. So now it is time to add milk.

Add saffroned milk into Halwa and stir it continuously.

Soon, Halwa will start soaking the milk.
Continue stirring.

After all the milk is absorbed, add sugar and cardamom powder.

Mix well and continue stirring until the Halwa is thick and the Ghee starts separating again.
If you use the same amount of ghee as mentioned in the recipe, there will not be much ghee.
But if you have used 1 Cup of Ghee, there will be more separated Ghee.

Continue cooking and stirring for 4-5 minutes or until Halwa is not sticky anymore.
You can check the doneness by taking a small portion into your hand and rubbing it with your fingers.
If Halwa is not sticking to your finger and only leaves grease (Ghee) on your finger, that means Halwa is ready.

Turn off the heat, take the Moong Dal Halwa into a serving bowl, and garnish it with chopped nuts.

Serving Suggestions

Moong Dal Halwa is best served hot or warm. You must have seen this: a cook makes it live at the wedding, continuously cooking on a big tawa and serving right from the tawa.

If you are making this Rajasthani dessert ahead of time, make sure to warm it before serving. Because, once the Halwa is cooled down, Ghee will become solid, and so Halwa will become solid too. You can heat or warm Halwa as mentioned below.

Reheating The Moong Dal Halwa

Microwave Halwa for a few seconds or as needed until it is hot or warm.
Take the portion of Halwa into a non-stick pan and heat it on low flame, stirring it continuously until the Ghee starts separating again and the Halwa is warm or hot.

How To Know If Halwa Is Ready Or Not?

How will you know that now the Halwa is done or cooked? Once you add sugar and cardamom powder to Halwa, continue mixing and stirring. Halwa will start to thicken and will stop sticking to the pan.

Then you take a small portion of Halwa and rub it with your fingers. Suppose it sticks to your finger, Halwa is not done yet. So continue cooking and stirring. But if it does not stick to your finger and it leaves grease (Ghee) on your finger, Halwa is ready. I have mentioned this with the picture in the step-by-step instructions.

Helpful Tips

In the beginning: When we add Moong Dal paste into Ghee, we will have to mix it immediately. It is very crucial as we do not want any lumps of Moong Dal paste. If there are lumps, the final texture of the Halwa will be different. And also, there will be a little raw taste of Moong Dal. So as soon as you add the paste into Ghee, do not leave it unattended and mix it immediately and thoroughly.
The texture of Halwa: I like smooth and melt in the mouth Halwa. So I have made a fine paste of Moong Dal. But some people like the coarse texture of Halwa. If you like the grainy texture, grind Moong Dal into a coarse paste. While grinding, do not add water, and if you need to, then add only 2-3 tablespoon of water.
More or Less Ghee: As I mentioned above, this Halwa is heavy on Ghee. At the end of making Halwa, lots of Ghee separates. But with ¾ Cup of Ghee, Halwa will be greasy, but you will not get too much separated Ghee. However, you can add a couple of tablespoon Ghee at the end after mixing sugar. Or take 1 Cup of Ghee instead of ¾ Cup in the beginning.