It’s been three months since I started blogging. Cooking has always been my passion and its gives me great joy and happiness when I try and create new recipes and get appreciation for my effort and creativity. It inspires me to do more.
All this has been possible only because I have been gifted with a very encouraging and supportive family who are always game for all my experiments in the kitchen.
And yeah, they very patiently wait till I shoot my pictures and sometimes help me to take pictures too:)
And my friends have been no less. I feel very overwhelmed with all the appreciation and encouragement that I get from all my friends:)
Am dedicating this 100th post to each and everyone of you who have showered me with your love, best wishes and blessings.
Thank you all very much and am very grateful to God and to you all:)
To celebrate my small milestone, today I made one of the very famous traditional delicacy of Tanjore district in Tamilnadu, A rich, delicious and melt in mouth,
Asoka Halwa ( it was my dear husband’s suggestion to do this recipe) 🙂
Ingredients
Moong dal ( Pasi paruppu)- 1 cup
Maida- 1/4th cup
Milk- 1 cup
Sugar- 11/2 cups
Ghee – almost 2 cups
Cashew nuts- 1 tbsp
Red food colour- 2 pinches
Method
Dry roast moong dal till they become golden brown. Cool and wash well.
Add 1 cup of water and 1 cup of milk to the washed dal and pressure cook for 2-3 sounds. It should be cooked really soft.
Mash the cooked dal well till becomes a soft and smooth puree or blend it to a smooth puree.
Heat 1/2 cup of ghee in a heavy bottom pan. Add the maida, mix well and cook for few mins till the raw smell of the maida goes.
Switch off the gas. Add the puréed moong dal to the maida and mix well. Add the sugar and 1/4th cup of ghee and mix very well.
Keep stirring and cooking on a medium flame. Add small amount of ghee in frequent intervals. Keep stirring continuously.
It is quite laborious, but worth the effort:)
Keep stirring till the halwa starts leaving the pan and starts to ooze out the ghee.
Now, mix little water to the 2 pinches of red colour and add to the halwa. Mix well.
By now lots of ghee will start oozing out of the halwa. Keep collecting it. Easier way is to strain the halwa. I did just that.
After removing as much ghee as possible, mix cardamom powder to it and transfer to a serving dish.
Heat very little ghee in a small pan and roast the cashew nuts.
Garnish the halwa with roasted cashew nuts and serve hot:)
Anuradha traditionally wheat flour is used in place of maida and it is a healthier option too 🙂