- Submitted by Dahlia
(Gajar Ka Halwa)
In my favorite TV series, the heroine is pregnant and her handsome hubby in the show wants to give her the best pregnancy stint. He is cutely and earnestly making all the efforts to keep his wife super happy. This scene is seriously one thing that happens in both reel and real life. Every woman undergoes a series of changes during pregnancy and each woman’s craving is totally unique. When I knew that I was expecting, I thought I would have craving for all tangy chaat items like paani puri, Bhel pooris etc but on the contrary I started craving for sweets. I felt like eating kesari, gulab jamun, wheat halwa, Gajar ka halwa and many more. All my near and dear ones would keep making some sweet or the other. Among all the sweets, I had the craziest craving for Gajar ka halwa or Carrot halwa.
According to Wikipedia Gajar ka Halwa was first introduced during the mughal period and the name originates from Arabic word “Halwa”, that means sweet. And it is made from Gajar or carrot, so the name Gajar ka halwa. Carrot halwa is made predominantly in the winter season maybe because carrots are fresher and more abundantly available. Carrot halwa also has a moderate shelf life. It can be stored in refrigerator for almost 2 weeks and can be relished. When we were living in Baroda our house owner aunty would make a big container of this delicacy and every now and then they would warm small amounts and relish it. It would just taste out of the world. Carrot halwa is made during festivals like diwali, holi, Eid and even Raksha bandhan. Unlike other desserts Gajar ka halwa is a low calorie nutritious dessert with less fat. Since the main ingredients are carrot and milk, the nutritive quotient of the dish is also high. As I compile the recipe for all of you, my taste buds are lingering to eat a small amount. So, set out and make this yummy, delicious, mouth watering Gajar ka halwa. Cheers!!!
Recipe For Carrot Halwa
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 45 minutes
Serves: 4
Ingredients
- Carrots - 2 cups (app. 4 carrots)
- Milk - 2 cups
- Sugar - 1 cup
- Ghee - 2 tbsp
- Nuts & Raisins - 1/4 cup (Almonds &/ Cashews)
- Cardamon - 2 (crushed or use 1/4 tsp cardamom powder)
Method
- Wash, peel the carrots and grate them.
- Heat ghee in a small pan, roast the nuts and raisins in it.
- Heat milk in another heavy bottomed pan and add the grated carrot to it.
- Cover partially and cook it on medium flame. Stir occasionally to avoid sticking to the bottom.
- After about 15-20 minutes, when all the milk is absorbed, add required sugar.
- After about 10 minutes the oil starts getting separated from the halwa. At this stage add cardamom powder, fried nuts and raisins and 1 tbsp of ghee.
- Mix for another minute and switch off.
Detailed Steps to make Carrot Halwa
Wash and peel the carrots and grate them or grind them. Grating leaves some texture to the carrot at the end but grinding is equally good too.
Heat the ghee in a small pan and fry the nuts and raisins in it.
Heat the milk in a heavy bottomed pan and add the carrot to it.
Cook it on medium flame, stirring occasionally to avoid sticking to the bottom. After about 15-20 minutes, when all the milk is absorbed by the carrot, add sugar and stir continuously.
After few minutes the oil starts getting separated from the halwa. Now add cardamom powder, fried nuts and raisins and 1 tbsp of ghee. Mix for another minute before switching off.
Tips
- To make cardamon powder, grind it with little sugar to get a fine powder.
Variation
- Since the traditional method of stirring is a little time consuming, we can alternatively cook in pressure cooker. After step 4, the carrot milk mixture can be pressure cooked for one whistle. The recipe can then be continued in the same way as the traditional method.
Serving Carrot Halwa
- When serving carrot halwa for parties or get together, warm carrot halwa can be served with cold vanilla ice cream.
More Carrot Recipes