Ashoka Halwa, Often reffered as Thiruvaiyaru Halwa, a legendary South Indian dessert that is very popular in weddings in the Tanjore district. This vibrant, glossy treat is a masterpiece of its silky texture, melt-in-the-mouth.
Ashoka Halwa History:
It is said that during World War II, when wheat was scarce, a hotelier named P. Ramaiyer in Thiruvaiyaru turned humble moong dal into a sweet, he named it after Emperor Ashoka, the “king of kings”. Today, it remains a traditional must-have at festivals like Diwali and special celebrations, according to Wikipedia.
Key Ingredients in Ashoka Halwa:
- Yellow Moong Dal: Soak or dry roast till you get nice aroma.
- Sugar: Adjust for your preferred sweetness
- Ghee: Use as much as the moong dal, the heart of the dish, so do not compromise!
- Wheat Flour: To get that perfect binding use only2 tablespoons of it.
- Cardamom Powder: Obviously every sweet calls for ½ teaspoon of it for the perfect aroma.
- Cashews: A handful of them roasted in ghee for crunch.
- Food Colour: A pinch of orange or red, purely optional.
Steps included in it:
- Dal preparation: There are two ways we can prepare the dal. Either dry roast it till the aroma is out or soak for half an hour and cook. Once the dal is cooked well, blend it to make smooth paste.
- Base: Wheat flour is the base of the dish. Heat a spoonful of ghee. Roast it until smells nutty and turns a light golden brown.
- Blend: Add the smooth dal paste and sugar to the pan. Stir continuously as the sugar melts and the mixture becomes gooey and translucent.
- The Magic ingredient (Ghee): Incorporate the remaining ghee one tablespoon at a time. The secret to a non-sticky, glossy halwa is slow cooking and steady stirring until the mixture starts leaving the sides of the pan.
- Final Flourish: Stir in the food colour, cardamom powder, and golden-fried cashews. Once it rolls into a glossy mass that doesn’t stick to your fingers, it’s ready.
Serve Ashoka Halwa warm to experience the ghee-laden, silky texture at its finest.
Ashoka Halwa | Thiruvaiyaru Ashoka Halwa
Ashoka Halwa, Often reffered as Thiruvaiyaru Halwa, a legendary South Indian dessert that is very popular in weddings in the Tanjore district. This vibrant, glossy treat is a masterpiece of its silky texture, melt-in-the-mouth.
Ingredients
- 1/2 Cup Moong Dal
- 2 Tbsp Wheat Flour
- 3/4 Cup Ghee
- 1 Cup Sugar
- 1/4 tsp Food Colour Orange/Red
- 1 tbsp Cashew Nuts and Kismis
- 1/4 tsp Cardamom Powder
Instructions
- Wash and Soak moong dal for half an hour to one hour.
- Pressure cook the dal for 3 to 5 whistles, by adding 2 cups of water.
- Once the pressure cools down completely, mash the dal and blend it into a smooth paste.
- In a thick bottom pan heat 1 tbsp of ghee and fry cashew nuts and kismis.
- Keep them aside.
- Again heat the pan and add half portion of ghee.
- Add wheat flour and roast till the aroma comes out.
- And the color of wheat flour changes.
- Add the blended moong dal paste and keep stirring.
- Cook it in low flame only.
- Add sugar and keep stirring continuously.
- Once the sugar starts melting start adding ghee.
- Add ghee till the halwa start leaving the pan and coming into one mass.
- Add food colour and mix it well.
- Add roasted cashew nuts and cardamom powder.
- Mix it once and turn off the flame.
- Serve hot or warm Ashoka Halwa.
Notes
You can dry roast the moong dal or soak and pressure cook it.
While grinding the dal do not add water.
The blended dal should be thick and smooth textured.
Add ghee generously to get the gooey texture and taste.