Asoka Halwa

This is a halwa that's made with mung dhal (paasi paruppu) and is a specialty from Thanjavur and Thiruvarur areas of TamilNadu. My aunt from Thanjavur used to always bring these for us every time she visited us. As much as Tirunelveli halwas taste divine, this is an equally nice variation and this is my 2nd attempt at making this halwa since my husband likes this a lot. The first recipe I used didn't work out too great for me but this one by Mrs. Mano is perfect and I've already made it a couple times using this method. We love the fact that it's not overpoweringly sweet and is not dripping with ghee either like the halwas one purchases.

ASOKA

Ingredients:

Yellow (split) Mung Beans (paasi paruppu) - 1 cup
Sugar - 2 to 2.5 cups
Ghee - 1 cup (upto 1.5 cups)
Whole wheat flour (atta) - 0.5 cup
All purpose flour (maida) - 0.5 cup
Milk - 1 tbsp
Red food coloring - few drops
Saffron - a big pinch
Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp

Method:

1) Pressure cook mung beans with about 3 cups of water till soft. Mash till smooth. To this, add the sugar and mix well.

2) Meanwhile soak saffron in the milk, add food colouring and cardamom powder. Keep aside.

3) Heat ghee in a pan and add the atta and maida. Stir until there are no lumps. Keep stirring on a low-medium flame until there's a nice aroma and it turns golden.

4) Now add the mung dhal + sugar mixture and stir well until well cooked and the halwa leaves the sides of the pan. Add the milk mixture and stir well and cook for a few more minutes before removing from stove. Ashoka Halwa is now ready to serve.


Wishing you all a very Happy Deepavali !

Comments

  1. Its my favourite recipe. Looks yummy..... I have also planned to make the same but the recipe is different. Wish u and ur family a happy, prosperous, bright and colourful diwali

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  2. Great looking dessert Laavanya. Never heard of this before, good to know a new sweet! Happy Deepavali, enjoy with your family!:))

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  3. Laav - Heard of this halwa, but never tasted it. Looks yummy & Delicious !
    Happy Diwali to you & your family.

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  4. I hail from Thanjavur. So I have had it countless number of times. it is very special!

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  5. I have heard about this Laavanya but never tasted it Looks very much like thirunelvelli halwa. Thanks for sharing the recipe. Happy diwali and have a nice time.

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  6. Wow!!! Looks marvellous. I´m definately gonna try this out. Thanx for sharing.

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  7. wow lavanya....Great-looking halwa.....Resembles Thirunalveli halwa mostly....Nice one dear :-)

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  8. Never heard of this sweet. Looks very yummy!

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  9. Laavanya!! that halwa looks divine!! happy diwali to you n your family

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  10. Laavanya, I had no idea about this sweet...I know better now...thanks for sharing and wish you and your family a very happy Diwali.

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  11. looks great laav..love the color too...happy diwali to you and your family :)

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  12. Awesome halwa!! I have one query.. can I make this by excluding the maida all together?
    I would love to make this tonight for dhanteras, do lemme know!!

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  13. Thank you Anu. Do post your version of the halwa too.

    Asha, Thanks for your Diwali wishes. It's an easy sweet too.

    Seema, do try it sometime. Thank you..

    Suganya, I agree with you on how special it is.

    Kribha, my Diwali wishes to you too. Thanks for your kind words.. it tastes different though.

    Pushpa, I do hope you try this out.. do let me know.

    Sirisha, thank you very much. I had no idea it was this easy to make until I did try.

    Thank you Kalva.

    Padmaja, Thanks! and a very happy Diwali to you too.

    Thanks Rajitha. Our best wishes to you too.

    Manasi, I'm sure that substituting the maida with atta will work just as fine. So, don't exclude it totally, just replace it with whole wheat flour. I hope you see this reply in time to make it tonight. Happy Diwali. Thanks for the interest and do let me know how you like it.

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  14. Wow, Lavaanya I used to enjoy the Tirunelveli halwa in chennai, You bought those memories back, though tis is a different version, will love to try this out. Thx for the recipe.

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  15. Thank u so much!!! I will try this , I'm sure it will be a hit. I will not exclude the quantity, but just replace the maida with wheat flour! I have no option but to exclude the food colour, but i guess that will be ok!
    Happy Diwali to u & urs!!!

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  16. hey, halwa looks so good, u r a pro at this looks like! loved the texture of the halwa, bookmarked!
    Happy Diwali, sweetie!

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  17. halwaaa lookkssss veryyyyyyy yummmmmmyyyyyyyyyyyyyy Lavanya

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  18. That looks gorgeous, L. How did the name come about?

    Happy Diwali to you and the family:)

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  19. Happy Diwali Lavanya! Halwa looks yummy!

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  20. Halwa looks awesome. Happy Diwali to you and your family, Laavanya.

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  21. Nice halwa laavanya!:) you are right it is a special in tanjore district!
    HAPPY DIWALI TO YOU AND YOUR FAMILY DEAR!:)

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  22. I love halwa and these are looking delicious. Shouldtry themm for next years diwali as it is too late now

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  24. Very rich looking halwa..i m sure it was heavely in taste. Perfect for Diwali! Happy Diwali to u & ur loved ones.

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  25. Looks delicious Lavaanya, wishing u too a very happy and fun filled Diwali :)

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  26. I MADE IT!!!!! it was AWESOME!!! I only reduced the quantity of sugar as the husband is not a sweet lover! but the reduced sugar version was Tooooooo good and he ate a bownful!!! this recipe is a keeper!! thanx again!!!
    Happy 'Diwali once again!!!

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  27. First time hearing about the name.Something very new to try, thanks. Happy deepavali to you too.

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  28. I was looking out for this recipe Lavanya...and here you are..!!!
    I love this sweet eversince I t tried in a wedding function!!Will surely give a shot, soon :)

    So you have trouble commenting in mine ??Check your browser settings and try enabling popup window..if not..
    Thankyou soo much for taking those extra efforts to leave your precious comment, girl :)

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  29. Lavanya....I have a doubt here....By yellow split moong beans...do u mean Moong dal...? Pesarapappu...? thanks in advance :-))

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  30. Rina, Thank you.

    Manasi, you are most welcome. Am so happy to hear that you tried and liked it! :) Thank you so much for the prompt feedback.

    Richa, once you try making it you will see that one doesn't need to be a pro.. it's that easy :)

    Thank you Sagari.

    TBC, I'm not sure about the origin of it's name, unfortunately. Thank you for your wishes.

    Sig, Bhags and Latha mami, thanks for your kind words and wishes.

    Happy cook, Thanks.. try it next year.. :)

    Thank you Pooja, Kelly and Namratha for your kind words.

    Madhu, Thanks.

    Bharathy, I'll remember to do that the next time I visit you. I loved so many of your posts but wasn't able to comment for so long. Thanks for your kind words.

    Sirisha, you are right, it IS Pesarapappu. Sorry if I confused you.

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  31. Hi new name and new recipe too.. sounds intresting.. happy diwali
    sushma

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  32. This looks too good, I am sure must be a feast especially in the cold winter months, great recipe!

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  33. Lav,
    never heard of a dish with name Asoka..good you posted here..thanks.

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  34. Thanks for clarifying my doubt Lavs......Will try this definitely :-)) Bookmarked it :-)

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  35. Wow!!! Its been years since i tasted this halwa...one of our fav. Thanks for this recipe.

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  36. Came out very nice Laavanya...thanks for sharing !!

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  37. i tried it!!!Taste so good.It was my husbands favourite sweet.very nice recipe thanks for sharing lavanya

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  38. Thank you Raks and Priya for trying this out and for your feedback! :)

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  39. very nice recipe....it tastes so authentic!!

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  40. Thanks for the nice recipe....Tastes so authentic!!

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  41. This is a favorite sweet at our place too. Thank you vanitha for trying it out and for providing your feedback - i really appreciate it.

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  42. am a doctor from tanjavure...I wud even die for this...i love it that much...Tanx for the recipe...And if t work out well,then no need to spend much and stand in que to get tis...il mak myself a kilo for 2 or 3 dayss.....haha

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  43. I tried it out. It came out really yummy. Especially for a recipe that does not require much effort :) But somehow I cannot get the color or the smooth texture. Is there a trick to that?

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  44. Tried your recipe. Turned out well at the first attempt. Thank u.
    U have a great blog. Congrats.

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  45. Jyothsna, Thank you for your comments. Sorry for the delayed response... as for the color, it depends on the food colouring and for the smooth texture, make sure the moong dhal is well cooked and beat it well (i use a wire whisk) to ensure it is smooth.

    Shailaja, thank you so much - your comment made my day!

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  46. hey i had this lots of time..its very special in tanjauvr dist...its very delicious and its my fav one...thank u for sharing..

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  47. I tried it ,came out good....I love it very much...thanks for sharing....thanks....

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  48. I love this halwa very much...I tried ,came out Gud ...............yumyyyyyyyy....thanks a lot.....thank u..,,,,,

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  49. Suganya, thank you so much for trying out and for letting me know... We love this halwa too :)

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  50. Hi, How many servings will this recipe give. I am trying to cook for a pot luck dinner and would like to know

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  51. Hello, I think this will serve about 8 to 10 people if you serve around half cup (std. measuring cup) or so per person.

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