Рецепт Hearty & Humble Thiruvaiyaru Special | Asoka Halwa
One of the most addictive, indulgent and satisfying sweet I have ever tasted. Yes, even the most decadent French pastries and desserts will be second if I have this as an option. Am truly Madly and Deeply love in with this. Since childhood, this and the Srivalliputhur palkova have been my weaknesses. This is not commonly available in many sweet shops. Even if they have, it is not the exact recipe. You can find this in almost all of the Tamil Iyer weddings. This will be on the menu in at least one of the meals. I was so determined to have this on my wedding feast and even asked mom if I could have it on all days! As fate would have it, they had included it in the breakfast menu on the Muhurtham day. It is just that the Bride and the Groom is not suppose to drink or eat until the rituals are completed. Sigh!
I always thought that good tasty things are hard and complicated to make. But when I found that my most beloved sweet is quite easy I was so elated. It uses three main ingredients and unlike the other halwa's, it is not time or labour consuming. Of course some work is required but it is manageable even for the novice cook. I would also like to point out that this is not for the fitness freaks out there. It has a huge amount of fat (ghee) that imparts the silky shiny texture and makes it to melt in the mouth as soon as you take a spoon.
There are so many variations to this recipe. The main difference is in the amount of wheat flour. There are recipes that add equal amounts of wheat flour and mung dahl and some even add Maida. I have not tried these variations yet and most of the time due to convenience and habit, I stick with how I learnt initially.
Asoka Halwa
Hearty & a Humble Thiruvaiyaru Special - Asoka Halwa
Prep Time: 10 Mins | Cook Time: 30 Mins | Total Time: 40 Mins | Serves: 3-4
Ingredients
- 1/2 Cup Mung Dahl
- 1 - 1.5 Cups Sugar
- 1/2 Cup Ghee
- 2 Tbsp Wheat flour
- A pinch of food colour
- A pinch of cardamom
- 2 Tbsp cashews, broken and roasted in ghee
Instructions
Roast the mung dahl in a Tbsp of ghee until it becomes golden brown and emits aroma.
Pressure cook the dahl until it is very smashed and mushy. Keep for about 7-8 whistles.
Heat a heavy bottomed pan, add 2 Tbsp ghee and roast the wheat flour until it becomes golden brown. Do not burn it. Keep it in low medium flame.
Immediately transfer the cooked dahl and add sugar to it. Keep stirring it and add the ghee little by little in between.
Also add the cardamom, cashews and food colour while stirring.
You have to keep stirring this until the mixture starts leaving the side and the whole mixture becomes one lump.
It will take about 10 -12 minutes. Turn off the flame. To check if it is done, it should not feel sticky while eating. So you have to keep it on the stove till then.
Notes
The dahl should be cooked very well. It should be smooth when mixed. If it is not done properly, you will feel the bite while eating the halwa which might not be good. If it is not done properly, put it in a blender.
As it cools, the ghee coagulates and it will might become grainy. Each time before serving, warm it up.
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