Moong dal, or green gram beans, are a healthy and nutritious variety of pulse that’s versatile and native to India. They’re high in antioxidants, lower bad cholesterol, reduce the risk of heart disease, are rich in fiber that aid digestive health and aid weight loss through increasing the feeling of fullness. Using such a power packed bean in your desserts is only going to lead to a healthy and guilt free dessert. Here are some recipes of desserts you can make with moong dal.
Moong Dal Halwa
Ingredients:
- 1 cup moong dal
- 10 tsp ghee
- 4 green cardamoms
- 12 pistachios, unsalted
- 1 tsp golden raisins
- 1 cup milk
- 2 cups water
- 1 cup sugar
Directions:
- Soak the moong dal in water overnight.
- The next morning, grind the moong dal to a smooth paste.
- Add ghee in a kadhai and then the moong dal paste to it. Mix well.
- Once the paste starts becoming lumpy and the fat starts to separate, break the lumps while stirring.
- In a pan, mix the milk, water and sugar. Stir until the sugar dissolves.
- Once the moong dal paste has become grainy, add the hot milk mixture to it. Stir well.
- Then add the cardamom powder, chopped nuts and raisins and mix well.
- Garnish with pistachios and serve hot.
Moong Dal Waffles
Ingredients:
- 1 cup moong dal
- ½ cup rice
- 1 green chili
- water for grinding
- ¾ tsp asafetida
- 3 tsp besan flour
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp soda bicarbonate
- vegetable oil for greasing
- Honey, for topping, optional
- Chocolate sauce, for topping, optional
Directions:
- Soak the moong dal overnight.
- The next morning, grind it into a paste along with the green chili.
- Add the asafetida, gram flour, salt and soda. Add water as needed to create a smooth batter.
- Grease the waffle iron and pour in the batter.
- Transfer cooked waffles to a plate.
- Top with a drizzle of honey and chocolate sauce and serve warm.
Moong Dal Kheer
Ingredients:
- ½ cup moong dal
- 2½ cups milk
- 1 tbsp ghee
- A pinch of saffron, plus more for garnish
- ¼ cup condensed milk
- 10 almonds, roasted and chopped, plus more for garnish
- 10 cashews, roasted and chopped, plus more for garnish
- 12 pistachios, blanched, peeled and sliced, plus more for garnish
- A pinch of green cardamom powder
Directions:
- Heat the milk in a pan and let it come to a boil. Let it reduce, stirring occasionally.
- Add the ghee in another pan and add the moong dal to the ghee, roasting it on medium heat until it's golden brown. Then turn off the heat.
- Transfer the roasted dal to the hot milk and mix well.
- Add the saffron and cook for 15 minutes or until the dal is completely cooked.
- Add condensed milk and mix well.
- Then add the almonds, cashews and pistachios and mix. Then add the cardamom powder and mix well. Turn off the heat.
- Transfer to a bowl, garnish with the nuts and saffron, and serve hot.
Moong Dal Laddoos
Ingredients:
- 1 cup moong dal
- 1 tsp sesame seeds
- 1 tsp walnuts
- 1 tsp almonds
- 1 tsp muskmelon seeds
- 1 tsp desiccated coconut powder
- ½ tsp cardamom powder
- ¾ cup dates paste
- 3 tsp ghee
- 4 tsp milk
Directions:
- Roast the moong dal in a kadhai until it starts to crackle. Once it's well fried, set aside to cool.
- Fry the sesame seeds in a kadhai on low to medium heat. Once it starts to pop, turn off the heat and set aside to cool.
- Break the walnuts into small, uneven pieces and roast in a pan. Once roasted, set aside to cool.
- Roast the almonds in a kadhai. Once roasted, set aside to cool.
- Chop the walnuts and almonds into small pieces. Set aside.
- Grind the moong dal in a blender until it's a coarse powder. Set aside.
- Mix the sesame seeds, walnuts and almond pieces, muskmelon seeds, desiccated coconut powder, cardamom powder and the moong dal powder. Mix well.
- Add the dates paste and ghee to the mixture. Mix well by hand.
- Then blend the mixture in a processor. Add more date paste if needed, to bind the ingredients well.
- Add the milk to the mixture and make small ladoos by rolling them into spheres between your palms.
- Place in the fridge for 2 hours so the ghee solidifies and the laddoos set in shape. Remove from the fridge and let them sit at room temperature for a few hours. Serve cool or store in an airtight container to serve as needed.