Chanay ka Halwa

A luxurious dessert made from golden-hued lentils, cooked to perfection with only a handful of pantry staples. It’s like a warm hug for your soul, guaranteed to satisfy even the sweetest tooth!

Treat your taste buds to something utterly divine. Get ready to indulge in the rich, velvety goodness of Chanay ki Daal ka Halwa!

Whether you’re celebrating a special occasion or simply craving a comforting treat, this halwa is sure to steal the show. It’s a bit of a labour of love, so my mom makes this halwa in large batches and freezes it to be used over several months.

It takes a few hours of mostly-hands-off cooking so I suggest you make this on a day you have some spare time. I wouldn’t make it on the day of a dinner party 🙂

Chanay ki Daal ka Halwa

Recipe by Maliha KhanCourse: DessertCuisine: PakistaniDifficulty: Difficult
Servings

12

servings
Prep time

1

hour 
Cooking time

6

hours 
Total time

7

hours 

Ingredients

  • 1 kg chana daal

  • 1½ kg sugar

  • 2 cups milk

  • 2 cup powdered milk

  • 1 cup oil

Directions

  • Soak daal for 3-4 hours.
  • Rinse thoroughly replacing water a few times.
  • Drain the daal and place in a pan. Add liquid milk and bring to a boil.
  • Reduce to low and cook uncovered till daal is soft. Add more milk later if needed (i.e. if it dries up).
  • Turn off when the daal is tender.
  • Let it cool.
  • Grind in small batches in a food processor.
  • Grind further in a NutriBullet to a finer paste.
  • Add milk to grind easily. It’s okay to put 2 tbsp per batch, it’ll cook out on the stove.
    The paste should look like this.
  • Add oil in a pan and pour the paste in.
  • Cook on low covered for 3-4 hours with the pan placed on a tawa. Stir every 30 mins to prevent from sticking to the base of the pan.
  • When all the water dries out, add the sugar. Don’t bother mixing too well at this point. When the sugar melts it’ll make stirring easier.
  • Stir to mix well, breaking any lumps. Use a hand blender to break the lumps and make a smooth paste.
  • Continue to cook uncovered on low stirring every 15 mins so it doesn’t stick to the base.
  • After 2 hours the halwa will have changed to a darker colour. The sugar water will be drying out. The halwa will look glossy.
  • When it gets nice and dark add the powdered milk.
  • The addition of milk will make the colour a bit lighter. So you’d want to push the colour far enough before you add the milk. Otherwise the finished halwa will be pale. Mix well.
  • Turn off heat. Add powdered nuts.

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I’m Maliha, a Pakistani soul settled in the beautiful, vibrant city of Sydney, Australia.
I started this blog in 2008 as a way to share my mom’s recipes with close friends and family. What started as a necessity quickly turned into a desire to share what I’ve learned (and continue to learn); with the simple idea to make home-cooking approachable and fun for everyone.
I hope you enjoy reading and trying my recipes as much as I do sharing them!