Carrot Halwa (Gaajar ki Halwai)

Carrot Halwa (Gaajar ki Halwai)

Ingredients:

• Carrots – 150gms (2)—Pink Variety
• Milk – 500gms
• Sugar – 50gms (3Tbsps)
• Ghee – 20gms (1Tbsp)
• Cardamoms – 5
• Cashew Nut Pieces – 10
• Raisins – 7 

  

Preparations:

Wash carrots. Using a food processor using grater blade or using a box grater with medium holed grater, grate the carrots.

Crush the cardamoms and remove the skins. Using a mortar and pestle, powder the cardamom seeds. Take the cardamom powder into a plate and cover it to retain the aroma. 

Method:

Heat a heavy bottomed pan and add milk. Cook milk on high flame till it reaches a boil. When milk starts boiling reduce flame to medium and cook stirring. While the milk is reducing, cook the carrots.

Take grated carrots into a microwave safe bowl and place this bowl in microwave oven. Cover the bowl partially and cook on high power for 1 1/2minutes. Allow one minute standing time before removing the bowl from microwave oven.

Heat a pan and add ghee. When ghee is melted add the cashew nut pieces and fry stirring on low flame till they turn to golden color. Remove them from ghee and fry raisins in the remaining ghee. Fry raisins till they swell up. Remove the raisins from ghee and add the cooked grated carrots and fry till dry. When the milk is reduced and the consistency is thick, add the fried carrots and mix well. Cook stirring on medium flame till moisture evaporates. In between, scrape the sides of the pan to remove the thickened milk adhering to the pan. When the halwa is thick add sugar and mix well. When sugar is melted the consistency of the halwa becomes thin. So cook stirring, till the halwa is thick. When the halwa is cooked to desired consistency, switch off the flame and add cardamom powder, fried cashew nut pieces and fried raisins keeping aside few nuts and few raisins for garnishing. Mix well and serve garnished with the remaining nuts and raisins.

Note:

Use the pink variety carrots which are sweeter and tastier to make this halwa.

Cooking carrots in a microwave oven ensures carrots are cooked fully without becoming mushy.

Carrot halwa is made in different ways. In one method milk is not used—the halwa prepared this way,

1. Stays at room temperature for few days

2. Gives a rich pink color to the halwa which will be tempting

In another method, condensed milk is used to give a smooth texture to the halwa and also cooking time will be saved.

Keep stirring the milk while cooking to give smooth texture to the halwa.

Observe that, once sugar is added, the consistency of the halwa becomes thin and the color of the dish enriches.

If one wants to serve the halwa cold, increase the quantity of syugar a bit—as on cooling the sweet in the halwa reduces.

Usually we find the pink carrots which are also known as DELHI CARROTS during winter season. Prepare this sweet dish and enjoy the flavor of the pink carrots in season.

Enjoy !!!!!!!!!!!!!!