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Asoka Halwa Recipe

Yields1 ServingPrep Time15 minsCook Time15 minsTotal Time30 mins

Asoka Halwa is a sweet dish from Thriuvaiyaru (Tanjore district - Tamil Nadu) known for its exquisite taste and vibrant look. It is similar to the North Indian Moong dhal halwa.

asoka-halwa

 1 cup Moong Dal (pasi paruppu in tamil)
 2 cups Sugar
 2 cups Pure Ghee
 8 Nos Cardamom
 ½ cup Khoa (available in stores)
 10 Nos Raisins
 1 pinch Food Colour (red)
Boiling The Moong For Asoka Halwa Recipe
1

To prepare Asoka halwa, place a heavy thick bottomed 'Kadai' (made of vengalam or cast iron) and switch on the stove and keep it in medium flame.

2

Add a cup of moong dhal in it and and dry roast it for a minute or two.

3

Once you get the flavour out of it, just switch off the stove and transfer it to a vessel.

4

Just ensure that it is not over roasted and the colour has not been changed.

5

Just wash the moong dhal once and drain it. Now, add 2 ½ cups of water in the vessel and keep it inside a pressure cooker and close it with the lid.

6

Now switch on the stove again and place the pressure cooker over it in high flame.

7

Let it cook for a few minutes.

8

After 5-8 minutes, you will see the steam coming out of it.

9

At this stage, put the `weight` on and let it cook up to 4 or 5 whistles as you want the consistency of the dhal to be too creamy.

10

Let it cool and after sometime open the pressure cooker and take the vessel out and mash the dhal with a masher (mathu preferably) while it is quite hot.

11

After mashing you will see that it has come to the creamy texture exactly. Just keep it aside.

Making of The Sweet - Asoka Halwa
12

To prepare Asoka halwa, place the 'Kadai' again in the stove and keep it in medium flame.

13

Once it is heated, add the mashed moong dhal to it and let it cook for some time.

14

After two three minutes add the measured quantity of sugar to it and keep stirring until it melts completely.

15

Now it will become watery. At this stage, add 2- 3 teaspoons of ghee slowly, while stirring continuously on the other hand. Simmer the flame now.

16

Add another 2-3 spoons of ghee and keep stirring. Repeat the process until the ghee gets over.

17

At this point, add a pinch of food colour (red) and stir nicely.

18

If it is `kesari powder`(common colouring agent in South Indian hoseholds) then add two pinches.

19

Finally, add the khoa to it to get a nice flavour and stir well.

20

Change the flame to medium mode and keep stirring.

21

Let it cook for 5-10 minutes approximately until you get a nice smell out of it.

22

You will start noticing the ghee oozing out of the sides of the kadai.

23

Let it cook till the `Ashoka Halwa` becomes glossy and absolutely non-sticky.

Tempering of The Raisins for Asoka Halwa
24

Take a few cardamom pieces and powder it in a blender. Just blend it into a fine powder and add it to the Ashoka halwa after removing the skin.

25

Take a small `kadai` or an `iluppai karandi`(a traditional south Indian cast iron ladle usually used for tempering) and heat it and pour a tablespoon of ghee in it.

26

Once it is heated, add some raisins to it and immediately it will pop up with a lovely noise.

27

Before it subsides, just add it to the Ashoka halwa prepared.

28

You can switch off the stove at this stage and now the Ashoka Halwa is ready to eat.

29

Serve it hot in a banana leaf or a sarugu (dried banana leaf) to get an authentic taste along with with the traditional 'special mixture', an exclusive south Indian savoury that goes well with this 'Asoka Halwa'.

30

It tastes awesome if you have a sip of filter coffee in between.

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 25 g


Amount Per Serving
Calories 100
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 3.5g6%
Total Carbohydrate 18g6%
Protein 0.3g1%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily value may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.