Alia Bhatt's moong dal halwa birthday cake is a nod to her favourite Indian dessert; recipe inside!
Alia Bhatt turned 32 on Saturday in the most wholesome lowkey way. The center of the celebrations? The very one-of-a-kind moong dal halwa cake!
Alia Bhatt doesn't talk about food a lot. So when she does, the actor and mum of 1 always ends up name dropping some of her most cherished bites. Years back around the start of her career, when Alia was practically a baby herself, she had shared a series of candid YouTube vlogs, one series of which was her attempting to make a few of her favourite staples for the first time. Amid conversation she ended up sharing: "My favourite desserts are usually Indian desserts...I love moong dal halwa. Dilip (her chef at the time), makes this doodhi ka kheer, which is like amazing! Sometimes when I am like in a cheat mode, then he makes it with proper sugar and everything and sometimes I say ki mujhe cheat chahiye par nahi bhi chahiye, then he makes a sugar free version for me. But that's my favourite".
So of course it's no surprise that her birthday cake this year is a 'halwa hazelnut chocolate' cake! The unique concoction was shared by Alia's sister Shaheen Bhatt, in an appreciation for their long-time friend Pooja Dhingra for "over-delivering" and how.
Now if all this Halwa talk has got you craving a few (or many) spoonfuls of the ghee-soaked bites, we have a recipe handy for you too!
Moong dal halwa
Ingredients: Moong da (no skin) - 1/2cup, ghee - 3tbsps, sooji - 1tbsp, besan - 1tbsp, rose water - 2tsps, chopped nuts - a handful; For syrup — water -1 cup, sugar - 1/2 cup, cardamom powder - 1/2tsp, milk - 1/2 cup
Method: Toast the moong dal over low heat until it turns a deeper brown. Stir it continuously to ensure it browns evenly. Let this cool down before grinding it in two separate batches to ensure it’s ground evenly. Meanwhile, in a separate pan, combine water and sugar to create a light sugar syrup. Once the sugar dissolves, add cardamom powder and then pour in the milk. In a pan, heat some ghee and add the ground moong dal, sooji, and besan. Roast the mixture well. Then, pour in the sugar syrup and stir for a few minutes until it thickens. Add rose water and chopped nuts. Enjoy it piping hot!
(recipe from Chef Kunal Kapur)
We bet you won't be able to fight the halwa craving today!
