Gajar ka Halwa - The Quintessential Indian Dessert!

With the winter chills setting in, vegetable stores and streets are full of delicious, long, juicy, flavoursome

'Delhi Carrots'... And what better to start your winters than some steaming hot and delicious Gajar ka Halwa - a dessert pudding associated with northern India and served at most festivals and functions. This light and popular milk-based, nut-laced dessert is also finding its inroads in other parts of the country and has become quite a popular choice at various functions! I welcomed the winters this year with my first plate of Gajar Halwa and here's a hassle-free recipe to cook up this delicious dessert for your next party!

GAJAR KA HALWA

Prep Time: 15 mins | Cook Time: 30-40 mins | Serves: 6

Ingredients:

1. Delhi Carrots - 1 kg
2. Ghee - 3 tablespoons
3. Sugar - 3-4 tablespoons
4. Condensed Milk (Milkmaid) - 1 tin
5. Cashews and raisins - 1 cup for garnish

Preparation:

• Boil a vessel of water as you peel and cut the carrots into about 3-4 inches long pieces. Par boil the carrots (once the water boils, take it off the heat, add the chopped pieces of carrots and cover it with a lid for 5-7 minutes)

• Once the carrots begin to soften slightly, take them off the hot water and grate them

• Heat 3 tablespoons of ghee in a pan/ kadhai and begin to roast the grated carrots till its moisture evaporates and its raw smell wears off. Once the moisture has evaporated, you can add about 3 tablespoons of sugar. Mix and roast till the sugar melts and the carrots begin to change colour slightly (turning orang-ish). 

• Add one whole tin of condensed milk (about 400 ml) to the mixture and stir continuously. Keep mixing it till the condensed milk thickens and blends well with the carrots and the halwa begins to thicken and shine and leave the sides of the kadhai (this is an indication that the halwa is done). 

• Once done, add a generous helping of raisins and shredded cashews to garnish the halwa and serve hot! 

Traditionally, Gajar Halwa is cooked in a mixture of water, milk and sugar while stirring continuously. With this recipe, you can eliminate the process of using milk and sugar and use condensed milk instead. In case you like your halwa generously sweet, you can add sugar additionally.  Parboiling the carrots before roasting them in ghee will help cook them faster too.