Sweets recipes | Havyaka

Hesaru bele paayasa | Moong dal kheer

By Leena Hegde, Puttanamane

Ingredients A quick look Step by step Notes

Hesaru bele or moong dal or petite yellow lentil is split and skinned green gram. This humble paayasa or kheer is quiet simple, and easy to make and delicious to taste. Lentils are soft cooked in water, simmered with milk, sweetened with jaggery, and flavoured with cardamoms. Garnishing with dry fruits and nuts is optional.

This paayasa is prepared with slightly thin consistency when compared to other grains or lentils paayasa. You can even drink this paayasa and enjoy munching couple of lentils and nuts in-between.

If you like it to be with thick consistency, mash the softly cooked lentils slightly.

Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

30 mins

Cool off time

0 Total time

45 mins

Course

Sweets

Diet

Vegetarian

Difficulty level

Easy

Servings

5 bowls

Ingredients

1 cup Hesaru bele (Moong dal or split and skinned green gram)
1/2 litre milk
3 tablespoons
jaggery or as required
4 cardamoms (Yallakki or ellakki or ilaichi)
10 cashews (optional)
10 golden raisins (dry grapes) – (optional)
1/4 teaspoon salt
Water as required

Cookware / Utensils

Thick and wide pan or vessel
Spoon or Ladle
Mortar and pestle (optional)

Instructions

How to make Hesaru bele paayasa

Take 1 cup hesaru bele (petite yellow lentil) in a bowl.
Rinse the lentils 3 to 4 times or until clean.
Add 3 cups of water and cook on medium heat. Skim off any froth that comes over the lentils.
While lentils are cooking, take 4 cardamoms remove the seeds, rinse them, and make powder.
Take 10 cashews and raisins and rinse them. Chop or halve the cashews, cover and keep aside. (Optional)
Cook the lentils until soft.
Add 3 tablespoons jaggery or as required. Add 1/4 teaspoon salt.
Mix well and continue to simmer on medium heat for about 5 minutes or until it begins to boil.
Add cardamom powder and mix well.
Add 2 cups (1/2 liter) milk, mix well and continue to simmer on medium heat.
Switch off the heat as soon as paayasa or kheer starts to boil.
Serve hesaru bele paayasa (moong dal kheer) hot or warm or cold.

Step by step guide

How to make Hesaru bele paayasa

1. Take 1 cup hesaru bele (petite yellow lentil) in a bowl.

2. Rinse the lentils 3 to 4 times or until clean.

3. Add 3 cups of water and cook on medium heat. Skim off any froth that comes over the lentils.

If you prefer, you can pressure cook the lentils.

4. While lentils are cooking, take 4 cardamoms remove the seeds, rinse them, and make powder.

5. Take 10 cashews and raisins and rinse them. Chop or halve the cashews, cover and keep aside. (Optional)

6. Cook the lentils until soft.

7. Add 3 tablespoons jaggery or as required. Add 1/4 teaspoon salt.

8. Mix well and continue to simmer on medium heat for about 5 minutes or until it begins to boil.

9. Add cardamom powder and mix well.

10. Add 2 cups (1/2 liter) milk, mix well and continue to simmer on medium heat.

11. Switch off the heat as soon as paayasa or kheer starts to boil.

12. Serve hesaru bele paayasa (moong dal kheer) hot or warm or cold.

If you prefer, garnish paayasa with raisins and cashews.

Notes

To make thick consistency paayasa, mash the softly cooked lentils slightly with spoon. Do not mash the lentils too much as it may turn into paste.
You can use any nuts of your choice to garnish or you can totally skip garnishing with nuts and dry fruits.
Do not boil paayasa too much after adding milk. Milk may get curdled. If the jaggery used is fresh and not sour, milk stays as milk. Otherwise milk will curdle. To be on the safer side, switch off immediately when it starts boiling.
Alternatively, you can add milk and boil the paayasa first, and add jaggery and salt after switching off the heat.