Difficulty: Hard

Ingredients

• 1 kg split chickpeas (chane ki daal)
• 2 liters full fat milk, one for soaking and one for syrup
• 1¼ kg sugar
• 1 tsp ground cardamom (elaichi)
• 1 big pinch saffron (zafran)
• 400g calrified butter (ghee), some extra for smearing on the plate/thali

For Garnishing

• Slivered almonds
• Silver leaf (chandi ka varaq)
• Sprinkle of ground cardamom

Directions

Wash and soak daal in water for an hour. Grease a plate or thali with a little ghee.

Take one liters of milk and add sugar as well as cardamom and saffron, and boil, reduce to medium or medium high under watchful eyes. Soon milk will start to thicken, switch off stove.

Throw water away, and now cook daal on a slow fire in one liter of milk till it is completely done, and all milk is absorbed.

Spread daal on thick cotton cloth under a fan till it is dry. Grind in a food processor till done as fine as possible. Don’t worry if there are a few grains. Dry roast in a karhai/wok continuously on medium to medium-high stirring continuously, else it can burn. It should be medium dark roast with a lovely aroma.

Now add ghee and roast again on medium for about 12-15 minutes. Pour in milk syrup, and keep stirring on medium till all milk is soaked and halwa becomes like a lump. Switch off stove.

Pat halwa into thali and smoothen on top. Garnish it. When cool, cut into diamond shapes or qatlis. Pat yourself on the back and smile.