Chickpea Halwa / Channa Dal Halwa

The word halwa can make some people drool.. It is smooth, silky and is sinfully delicious with loads of ghee and sugar.. This halwa is no exception. This is the first time I making it and it tasted so awesome. It can be called the cousin of badam halwa for its consistency and taste. Thanks to Kirti for choosing this delicious recipe for the SNC Challenge which is the brain child of Divya. This recipe is from kirti’s mom.








Ingredients
Kadalai Parupu / Channa Dal - 1/2 cup
Ghee - 6 table spoons
Milk - 1 1/4 cup
Sugar - 1/4 cup
Cardamom Powder - 1/4 tea spoon
Edible Camphor - A pinch (optional)
Water - 1 cup
Nutmeg - a few grates
Almonds (chopped) - 2 table spoons

MethodSoak the dal in water for 4 hours
Drain the water and add a cup of water and pressure cook for 3 whistles and around 3 minutes on simmer. It should be well done, but not mushy
Drain any excess water and allow it to cool
Grind / mash to a coarse paste and set aside
Heat ghee in a heavy bottom pan and add the mashed dal and cook on medium heat for 15 minutes stirring continuously. After 15 minutes, you will see the ghee separating and the nutty aroma all around..
Add 1/4 cup milk and stir continuously until all milk is absorbed. Repeat similarly in 1/4 cup batches until all milk are done.
Add sugar, almonds, cardamom powder, few grates of nutmeg, edible camphor and cook on high heat for 3 to 5 minutes until it comes to halwa consistency. You can cook it little longer and transfer to a greased plate and make small pieces out of it to make barfi
Remove from heat and garnish with chopped almonds and serve hot!!!

Points to note
Do not add all milk at once as it will make the halwa soggy. Add it in stages.
I halved the recipe and it was a perfect for our family of 2 and 1 little one.

Sending this to my own event – Anniversary event,  What is with my Cuppa, Nupur’s page, Cook Like a Celebrity Chef, Foodabulous, Holi, CupoNation, Let's Cook for Kids, Kid’s delight, Chacko's kitchen, WTML, Gayathri's page, Bookmarked Recipes, Know Your Dairy - Ghee, Jagruti's page, Holi, Celebrate Series,