Mohandal or Mohanthaal

 Mohanthaal or Mohandal is another dish using besan flour and it is my mom's favourite. The first time I had this dish was in 1988 during my brother's upanayanam. The cook who made this cautioned us that it should be consumed as early as possible as it might get bad quite easily. But we made him making it three times almost as the taste was excellent. 
But I did try it once with a lesser quantity at home and it tasted similar as this is the recipe that is shared by that excellent cook. I made it twice once using condensed milk and the other time using milk powder as I could not get unsweetened Khoya. 

Ingredients:
Besan flour - 3 cups
Ghee -  1 1/2 cups
Milk powder - 1/2 cup
      or 
Condensed milk - 1/2 cup
Sugar - 2 1/2 cups
Cardamom powder - 1 tsp
Nutmeg powder - 1/4 tsp
Badam - 20 pices sliced nicely
Pistachios unsalted - 2 pieces sliced nicely

Method:
Heat 11 cup of ghee in a hard bottom pan and add the besan flour and mix it well and bring it to a boil stirring it occassionally. Ensure the flour does not settle at the bottom. Cook it till the mixture turns to slightly golden  in colour. Add the cardomom powder and nutmeg powder and mix it well. 

At this stage add the condensed milk or the milk powder and keep stirring.

In another hard bottom pan add sugar with 1 cup of water and keep stirring it reduce the flame and cook till it reaches 1 string consistency. Add this mixture to the besan flour pan and keep mixing it till the mixture turns into a gooey consistency. Remove from flame and add the cardamom powder and nutmeg powder and mix well.  Add the remaining ghee slowly just like how we do for mysur pak. When the mixture turns fluffy and leaves the sides pour it into a greased pan and garnish it with badam and pista slices. Cut it into squares when cool.