Although a winter delicacy, gajar ka halwa can be prepared any time of the year if you can get carrots. This low-fat nutritious dessert is a go-to recipe everyone must know of. With a rather simple cooking process, it can be a good dessert recipe for beginners to start off with. Having bought some beautiful red carrots, I decided to prepare my favourite Indian dessert once again.
Follow the recipe below and treat yourself to a magical blend of carrots, ghee and sweetness.
Ingredients
Carrots (grated) 500gm
Milk
Sugar
Cardamom 3
Dry fruits – pistachio, cashew, walnut, almond, raisin (1-2 tbsp)
Ghee 2 tbsp
Method
- Heat a kadhai and add the ghee
- As soon as the ghee melts, add the grated carrots and mix well
- After 2 minutes add the sugar and 3 tbsp milk and mix.
- Separate the cardamom seeds from the husk and grind them to a powder, and save the powder for later.
- Add 3 cardamom husks to the carrots and mix well.
- Keep stirring frequently, scrape the sides of the kadhai and mix well. Cover with a lid and let it slow cook for another 15-20minutes, or until the halwa’s consistency thickens, and the water dries up.
- Once the carrots start to release water and boils add the cardamom powder and mix well again
- Add the dry fruits to the halwa; mix and turn off the heat.
- Serve hot with extra dry fruits garnishing. Some, however, like to have it cold.
Things to note
- The amount of sugar to be added to the recipe depends on the natural sweetness of the carrots. Therefor after adding 3 tbsp of sugar initially and letting it cook with the carrots, taste and check if it needs more sugar and then add carefully.
- Even though it is a dessert, nobody likes to have very sweet spoonfuls.
- Adding milk to the carrots is optional, if you are lactose intolerant you can most definitely skip the milk.
- The addition of milk only ensures an added flavour to soften and make the halwa creamy.
- You may also choose tfo add khoya to the halwa.
- the dry fruits add a crunchy texture to the otherwise mushy
And that's how it's done! 