Moong Dal Ka Halwa

Moong dal ka Halwa is a winter dessert. Its a Rajasthani dessert and its prepared during winter as it keeps you warm from the bitter cold. Since we are already experiencing the bitter cold here in the East Coast ..what better time to make this dessert.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup yellow moong dal
• 1 cup ghee/clarified butter
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup milk
• cashews fried in ghee

* You could add 1 cup sugar instead of 3/4 cup. Adjust the sugar to your liking.

Preparation :

• Soak moong dal in about 3 cups water for 4 hours.
• Drain the dal and grind it. (It does grind well without any water, if you really have to and find it difficult to grind , add very little water).
• Heat ghee in a thick bottomed pan and saute this dal paste till its golden brown. This should be done on medium to low heat and keep on stirring continuously or it will get burnt. This step took me almost 40 minutes.
• In another pan warm the milk and add sugar. Heat till the sugar melts.
• Now add this milk/sugar to the dal and stir it well. Keep it on low heat till the liquid is all absorbed and it has the consistency of halwa.
• Add the fried cashews. Stir well. Cook for another minute.
• Your Delicious Moong Dal Halwa is ready to serve.
• This recipe serves 4.

Spinach and Cranberry Dal - Palak Wali Dal

I'm sure after thanksgiving people kind of get a bit health conscious and try to get back to healthy eating. Not that there's anything wrong about enjoying a thanksgiving feast with all the pies and all the good stuff. We did too. So in case you are in your health conscious mindset this recipe is for you and for all of you as well who enjoy quick , healthy and easy recipes.

Also for the very first time went out shopping on Black Friday. Took my 7 year old son with me..We kind of made a list of things to buy and set the alarm for 2:00 in the morning as some of the stores were opening at 3:00 in the morning. I must say it was FUN and a must have experience at least once in your lifetime. Got some pretty good deals. Most of all we went as I really wanted to check out what it was all about..And mind you even at 2:30 in the morning there were thousands of people standing in queues. My DH and 3 year old stayed home. I'm not sure though I want to do this again next year...

Ingredients :

• 1 cup moong dal/moong lentil
• 1 bunch fresh spinach chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh cranberries
• 1 large tomato chopped
• 2-3 green chillies slit
• 1 tbsp freshly grated ginger
• 2 cloves garlic finely chopped
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• pinch of hing
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp red chili powder
• 1 tsp cumin - cilantro powder
• salt to taste
• oil
  

Preparation :

• Wash moong dal and pressure cook in about 3-4 cups of water with ginger, salt and turmeric till cooked.
• Heat oil in a pan. Add the cumin seeds. When they splutter add hing. Now add the finely chopped garlic. Fry for about a minute. Add the tomatoes and green chillies. Fry for about 2-3 minutes. Add the cranberries. Fry for about a minute. Add the red chili powder and cumin-cilantro powder. Mix it well.
• Now add the washed and chopped spinach. Mix it well. Let it cook for about 3-4 minutes on medium heat. The spinach will reduce in volume.
• Next add the cooked dal. Mix well. Adjust the salt. If you think the dal is too thick add a cup of water. Bring it to boil. Thats it. Your Spinach and Cranberry Dal is ready to serve.
• This dal can be served with rice or any Indian bread of your choice. Can also be served as soup with some garlic bread. Thats how my 3 year old likes it.
• This recipe serves 4.