In India Halwa means sweet. It can be of moong or doodhi or suji halwa. But the best is carrot halwa.
Carrots, fresh and juicy this juicy and red vegetable comes during winter season. And the red carrots are so sweet , you tend to make this sweet dish. This dish can be eaten with vanila icecream, or just. Its the most common sweets to be made once the red juicy carrot season begins. I personally love this sweet, garnished with dry fruits/raisins, pistachios, lotsaa ghee , a lip-smacking sweet .
Ingredients
- 8 to 9 medium tender juicy carrots or 650 grams – yields approx 4 to 4.5 cups grated carrots
- 4 cups full fat organic milk
- 4 tablespoons ghee (clarified butter)
- 10 to 12 tablespoons regular sugar or organic unrefined cane sugar or 180 to 190 grams sugar – add as required
- 5 to 6 green cardamom – powdered finely in a mortar-pestle or about ⅓ to 1 teaspoon cardamom powder
- 10 to 12 whole cashews – chopped
- 10 to 12 almonds – sliced or chopped
- 2 tablespoons golden raisins
- 1 pinch saffron strands – optional
Instructions
- First rinse, peel and then grate the carrots (8-9 medium sized tender juicy carrots), either with a hand held grater or in a food processor.
- You need approx 4 to 4.5 cups grated carrots.
making carrot halwa
- In a kadai or deep thick bottomed pan combine milk and grated carrots.
- On a low to medium flame, bring the whole mixture to a boil and then simmer.
- While the mixture is simmering on a low flame, keep on stirring in between.
- The grated carrots will cook in the milk and the milk will start to reduce and evaporate.
- When the milk has 75% reduced, add the ghee, sugar and powdered cardamom to the mixture.
- Stir well and continue to simmer and cook on a low flame.
- Do keep on stirring the halwa in between.
- Towards the end, add the cashews, almonds, saffron and raisins. Simmer the halwa till all the milk is evaporated. Switch off the burner.
- Serve gajar halwa hot, warm or you can also serve it cold. garnish with some chopped dry fruits while serving.
