1. Soak 1 cup moong dal overnight.
2. Next morning, grind to a paste.
3. Take a heavy kadai/non-stick skillet.
4. Heat 1-2 tsp of ghee and saute the cashews and raisins, until the raisins get all puffy and cashews are roasted.
5. In the same skillet, add 1/4 cup of ghee and warm it up.
6. Add the dal paste and stir continuously, not allowing lumps to form.
7. This part is very tricky since the dal cooks really fast, irrespective of the ghee.
8. Keep the heat at the lowest and keep stirring even after the dal becomes thick.This is when your hands will become your enemies and hate you for making them work.
9. Add the rest of the ghee intermittently
10. Meanwhile mix the sugar with water/milk in a pan and bring to a boil.
11. You can add the saffron and cardamom powder to this mixture.
12. Otheriwise you can simply add them towards the end to the dish directly.
13. Add this slowly to the cooking dal.
14. Keep the heat low at all times and break lumps if formed while adding the sugar and water/ milk mix.
15. Cook until the ghee surfaces and halwa gets a shiny, creamy texture.
16. Garnish with cashews and raisins.

Note: You can optionally dry roast the lentils in a skillet until aromatic and lightly golden and then soak it in water. It helps to enhance the taste and fragrance of this dessert though it is optional.

Courtesy: http://chefinyou.com/