Have you ever observed your parents, elders do something and then said to yourself, ‘‘Nah, I won’t ever do that” and then bammm!! Adulthood hits you and you find yourself doing exactly the same thing!
When maa and granny used to grate kilos of carrots using a hand grater to make ‘gajar halwa’ for the entire family, I used to wonder why they would go through that long and tiring process every winter. Now, I know why. It’s because gajar halwa is perfect for the times when you’re comfortably tucked in a blanket and you crave something soft, sweet, and warm. So, here I’m grating carrots (thankfully in a food processor), getting excited to make and store a big dabba (tupper) of halwa in my fridge.
My version is much lighter and easier than the original recipe and it tastes as good so it’s a win-win recipe. I hope you like it! Happy winter people!
Gajar Halwa
Enjoy the steps!
Ingredients
- 1 kg carrots, washed, trimmed & grated
- 4 cups milk
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon cardamom powder
- 2 tablespoon ghee (clarified butter)
- Optional: chopped almond, cashews, and raisins roasted in ghee
- Garnish: slivered almonds & pistachios, raisins, and edible rose petals
Directions
- In a big pan or kadhai, add grated carrots and stir on medium heat until water from the carrots evaporates and they get reduced to almost half the quantity, about 10 minutes.
- Add milk and stir at continuous intervals until all the milk gets absorbed by the carrots, about 20 minutes.
- Now add sugar, cardamom powder, and stir well. Adding sugar will release moisture and halwa will be gooey again. Do a taste check. I do not prefer overly sweet desserts so adjust sugar if required. Stir and cook until the moisture evaporates, about 10 minutes.
- Add ghee, chopped nuts, and mix well. Stir for another 5 minutes. Ghee will brighten the colour, add aroma and flavour to the halwa and thicken it a bit. It will still be moist though as that’s the desired consistency.
- Garnish with nuts, rose petals and serve hot!
Tips:
- Do not leave the pan unattended and stir regularly or else the carrots, the milk-carrot mixture might get scraped at the bottom of the pan.
- Halwa stays well for 7-8 days in the fridge and for a month in the freezer.
