Gajar Ka Halwa
Gajar Ka Halwa Punjabi style is traditionally slow cooked, the delicious aroma wafting in the air, with everyone just plain impatient to slurp up the heavenly dish made with just a few ingredients. The onset of winter is welcomed with a hot bowl of Carrot Halwa. Indian carrot pudding is usually made for festivals or celebration or cooked during winter for its warmth. Whatever the reason, the best way to enjoy Indian dessert carrot halwa is to try it! The darkish red, sweet and juicy winter carrots give the Punjabi Gajrela a deeper colour and a unique taste that the regular carrots fail to give. Needless to say, Carrot Halva is my favourite Indian sweet dish.
Servings: 8
Calories: 103kcal
Ingredients
- Carrots – 5 cups, grated
- Khoya – 100 gms, grated
- Raisins – 3 tbsp
- Cashewnuts – 3 tbsp
- Ghee – 7 tbsp + 1 tbsp
- Sugar – 8 tbsp
- Milk – 1 cup
- Cardamom powder – 1 ½ tsp
Instructions
- To cook carrot halwa at home, wash, trim the ends and peel the carrots. Use a hand grater to grate the carrots. You can also use a food processor but make sure not to over pulverize them! Grate the khoya (mava) and keep aside.
- Heat 1 tbsp ghee in a thick bottomed pan. Sauté raisins till they plump up. Remove. Fry cashewnuts till golden brown. Remove, cool and chop coarsely.
- Add some ghee to the pan. Tip in the grated carrots and sauté on a low-medium flame till the raw smell disappears. This takes about 20-25 minutes.
- Pour in a cup of milk and mix well. Cook the carrots, for about 15 minutes till the mixture absorbs the milk and starts to come together. Stir in between to prevent the milk from forming a film.
- Mix in the sugar and cook over a slow flame for about 5-7 minutes till the halwa thickens considerably.
- Add the grated khoya and sauté the carrot ka halwa for a couple of minutes more.
- Add cardamom powder, raisins and cashewnuts. Drizzle some desi ghee on top, mix well and cook for a further 5 minutes till the carrot halwa starts leaving the sides and takes on a glossy sheen.
- Remove and transfer into a serving dish. Serve mava flavoured gajar ka halwa hot.