GAJAR KA HALWA (CARROT HALWA)

Well, this is going to be my first post in my blog, or the first recipe as you may say. I had been thinking hard what should I post. I wanted my first recipe to be special. So here it is, presenting Gajar ka Halwa..

sweet delight

As it is said in India, " KOI SHUBH KAAM KARNE SE PEHLE MEETHA ZARURI HAI!!"

This is the reason why I chose this recipe. Another reason related to this is, I loved this dessert when my mother made it for me. Indian festivals are incomplete without sweet. And not only during festivals, you can try out these delicacies whenever you want. Any sweet toothed guy will go drooling over this halwa. Gajar ka halwa is really a very simple and classic recipe. It is quite easy to make and this is one of the first desserts which I learnt to cook. When winter is here, can lovely carrots be far behind?   Actually in winter, the markets of Kolkata are overflowed by the lovely red color carrots. You can also make this halwa with the orange carrots, but the former one looks more appealing to the eyes. You may be health conscious, you may be on a diet, but surely you would not want to miss something so delicious. Gajar ka Halwa is a complete package of the bright and lovely colour, the enticing aroma and has an amazing effect on your taste buds. There are various versions of how you can cook this halwa, and here I am sharing my way of cooking it.

Recipe:

Servings: 2

Preparation time: 30 mins

Cooking time: 30 mins

What you need?

• 500 g carrots
• 1/2 Lt milk
• 3/4 cup sugar 
• 2 Tbsp ghee
• 1 tsp cardamom powder
• 1/2 cup dry fruits( Cashew, Raisins, Almonds)

How to make it?

• Wash the carrots properly and peel them. Grate them either using a hand grater or a food processor.
• Heat 1 tbsp ghee in a pan. Roast the dry fruits in it for a few minutes. Keep them aside in a small bowl.
• Add the rest of the ghee in the pan and then put the grated carrots in it. Saute it in the ghee for a few minutes.
• Pour the milk in the pan and keep stirring the milk and the grated carrots.
• Within a while, the milk will get reduced and the carrots will be cooked.
• At this stage, add the sugar and stir properly.
• Add the cardamom powder and keep stirring till the halwa thickens. 
• In the end, add 3/4th of those roasted dry fruits and mix them well. Keep the rest for garnishing.
• When the halwa becomes dry, turn of the gas.
• Serve it warm and garnish it with the roasted dry fruits. And you are ready to enjoy it. 

Gajar ka Halwa

Note:

• You may use khoya or mawa to make this dessert richer.
• You may also use condensed milk to make it more delicious. But then you need to give less sugar as the condensed milk already contains sugar. 
• If there is any diabetic person in your home, you may consider using less sugar and less ghee.
• You can even refrigerate it and serve it cold.