Rajasthani Style Danedar Moong Dal Badam Halwa | Cherupayar Parippu Badam Halwa

Dal Badam halwa is a famous delicacy from Rajasthan, made during marriages and other festivities. The authentic version is a tedious process of soaking, grinding the dal(split moong dal) and badam(almonds), slow cooking the mixture for long hours in ghee, but the end product is the granule form of the halwa which is worth all the efforts. Nowadays, people have created many shortcuts to this traditional recipe by coarsely grinding the dal and almonds. Storing this mixture and preparing for a quick fix halwa. That process may yield the same flavours, but I wanted to go by the original version so that I can know the efforts put in behind the making of this delicious halwa.

I haven't tried the shortcut method yet, though have seen many videos on YouTube. So I can't comment on the tastes of that method. But let me tell you that this traditional version of the danedar(granules) tasted almost like store brought delicacy. This might involve a good workout to your arms, but the end result was worth trying. The dal is first soaked along with almonds. Then ground to a smooth paste, which is then mixed with ghee and added to the pan. Use a non-stick pan for best results as it uses lesser ghee. The mixture is then roasted on low flame and then cooked with sugar syrup. The whole process of this quantity took almost an hour to finish. Less adulterated and homemade makes this so special. If you love trying out something different for this Rakshabandan, then give this a try and enjoy !!

Preparation time ~ 20 minutes

Cooking time ~ 1 hour

Author ~ Julie

Serves ~ 6-8 bowls

Ingredients

split parippu / moong dal 1/2 cup

almonds blanched and soaked 1/4 cup

ghee 1/2 cup

granulated sugar 3/4 -1 cup

cardamom powder 1 tsp

saffron, a good pinch 

milk 2 cups

sliced almonds 2 tbsp

sliced pistachios 2 tbsp

Watch on YouTube-

Method

• Wash and soak the moong dal for 3-4 hours. Blanch the almonds in hot water, remove skin and soak the almonds too. Drain all the water after soaking and add the dal to a blender jar without water and grind to a coarse paste. To this add soaked almonds and  grind to a smooth paste, adding very little water. 
• Mix half of the ghee(1/4 cup) with the ground paste. Add this to a non-stick pan and heat the pan on low flame. Continue to cook on low flame till the dal mixture looks roasted and the raw smell of dal disappears.
• The mixture turns to a lump and is nicely roasted. To this, add the milk and break the lumps. Cook on low flame to cook the dal again. Scrape anything to the bottom each time so that it doesn't get burnt at the bottom.
• Then add the saffron soaked milk and cardamom powder. Once saffron is added, the colour of the halwa mixture turns to golden yellow colour (which I loved the most).When the mixture looks dry, add the granulated sugar and give a quick mix. The dal mix then turns thin and sugar dissolves. Cook again till the mixture again starts to leave the pan and forms a lump. Add the sliced pistachios and almonds (half), mix well.
• Now keep adding a tsp of ghee, continue stirring with a wooden spoon on low flame. Biceps gets a good work when making this halwa, but the end result is worthwhile. Keep adding a tsp of ghee till the bigger chunks break into smaller lumps and the smaller lumps to granule form. By then, the ghee starts to show up or the mixture starts to give out the added ghee. At this stage, stop adding ghee and mix to get the fine granular halwa. Takes one hour to get granules, so have patience to stir continously.
• Finally, garnish with left over sliced pistachios and almonds. Enjoy warm or cool. Refrigerate leftovers, thaw before serving.

NOTES

* Use a heavy bottom non-stick pan to get desired results and to reduce usage of ghee. Works perfect.

* I started making this halwa in the evening, but by the time I finished making it turned dark and so had to put on lights in the video.

* If you don't like granules, then add a few more tsp of ghee to get the usual halwa consistency. But I personally loved the granule form of this halwa.

Please check out more halwa recipes listed in my space-

• Carrot Halwa
• Thirunelveli Halwa
• Raw papaya Halwa
• Mixed Fruit Halwa
• Fresh Orange Halwa
• Papaya Halwa
• Pineapple Halwa
• Homemade Ghee Soan Papdi
• Jackfruit Halwa