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Wednesday, May 26, 2010

"Sweet Treats"- Moong daal sheera/ Halwa


There are certain foods, which are not your favorites, or you have had them only a few times...but their taste is unique and makes you crave them at times!!! 'Moong Dal sheera' is one such dish for me. I have had it may be just 5-6 times at the most... in some weddings in India or other special occasions.I don't remember my mom making it that much....
But couple months ago....when the 'pregnancy' cravings kicked in....I just wanted to eat that!!!
It is considered a 'healthy' breakfast because it is entirely made up of Moong daal ..so has lot's of protein.....and if you 'ignore' the Butter/ghee or sugar that goes in there.....it is a pretty good breakfast!!
To tell you the truth....'Pure Ghee(Clarified butter)' was never considered 'Unhealthy' at our homes in India....it was supposed to be 'nourishing' and 'had many benefits'....in my mom's words....


Ingredients:
1 cup Moong daal
1 and 1/2 cup sugar
1 cup Milk
1 cup water (or use milk....to make it richer)
3/4th cup Ghee/ Clarified butter
1/2tsp Cardamom powder
Saffron-few sticks
Raisins-few
Almonds-few sliced
Cashews-few

Method:
1) Soak dal for 3-5 hrs
2) Grind it well with minimum water to make fine paste
3) Mix water and milk and boil them.
4) Heat the ghee in non stick pan.Add the daal paste and roast till it becomes golden.
5) Then add the milk+water and let it cook for 2-3 mins
6) Add the sugar , mix well and cook for another 5-7 mins and stir in between.
7) Add cardamom, saffron, raisins, almonds, cashews etc.
8) Serve warm.You can 'mold' it in different shapes for better presentation.