Dry roast the moong dal in a thick bottomed pan till fragrant and golden brown and set aside to cool
Once cooled completely, transfer the lentils to a blender jar and grind till the lentils resemble fine semolina in texture. DO NOT grind to a fine powder.
For the Sugar mixture, heat the milk and water in a pan along with the saffron strands and bring the mixture to a gentle boil.
Add the sugar to the mixture and stir till the sugar is completely dissolved and set aside.
Heat ghee in a thick bottomed wok and add the slivered almonds and cashews and fry till they golden brown. Carefully remove the nuts from the ghee and transfer them to a plate.
Now add the semolina and the gram flour to the same ghee and fry till they turn fragrant and change colour. Make sure to keep stirring to avoid burning.
As the colour changes to golden brown, stir in the ground moong dal and keep mixing on low heat till the colour changes to golden brown and the mixture turns aromatic.
Stir in the sugar mixture very slowly at this stage. Add the mixture in three to four batches to avoid sizzling and spillage.
Keep mixing for another 8-10mins till all the liquid is absorbed by the lentil mixture and the ghee separates.
As the ghee is released, increase the heat slightly and continue mixing for another 5-7mins till the mixture darkens in colour and sturns slightly crumbly
Stir in the fried nuts, nutmeg powder and cardamom powder at this stage and mix well. Garnish with chopped pistachios and serve warm.
