Asoka Halwa/ அசோகா_அல்வா

One of the popular sweet in thanjavur district.. If you are visiting thanjavur,do visit "thiruvaiyaru sweet shop"  near old bus stand,or their branch in kumbakonam..the halwa is made by homemakers in thanjavur district for many occasions...I tried it couple of times,it couldnt reach the same taste from the shop..I tried it again this year with some maida added to give so and so of  halwa texture...And i think the amount of maida added varies with each shop/person.....No doubt ,i will make this again for this deepavali...

Here is the recipe for perfect south indian moong dal halwa...U need to fry pasiparuppu/moong dal for at least ten to fifteen minutes and it dont takes much time to stir as well.But it worths!

Ingredients

Moong dal/pasiparupu-half cup

Milk-1 cup

Sugar-1 cup

Wheat flour or Maida-2 tsps

Ghee/oil-1/2 to 1 cup

Kesari/orange color-a pinch

Cardomom powder-1/2 tsp

Fried Cashews and Raisins- a few

Method

  

1.Take a thick bottom pan and sauté the moong dal  for ten to fifteen minutes...

Keep sauté and change the heat to low and medium ,so, it get roasted evenly

2.Add the dal and  milk to the pressure cooker,and cook it for three whistles

3.When the dal has comes down to room temperature, grind it to fine smooth paste

4.Heat a thick bottom pan(I use varpana kadai/non-stick),Add the half cup of ghee to it ,fry the cashews and raisins for a minute

5.Mix the maida and color with 2 tsps of water ,add them to the dal..

Stir back and forth without taking the hand

6.Add the moong dal and the sugar(to avoid splashing on hands,use long ladle and use oven gloves)
it will take 15 to 20 minutes to reach the halwa consistency

7. If needed,add the remaining ghee ,the halwa will comes along to ladle and halwa oozes the excess ghee with glossy and silky texture

Notes
If the dal is not well smashed, the halwa will not leave the oil at end