Gajar Halwa - An Easy Dessert Recipe

Gajar (or carrot) Halwa is actually grated carrots cooked in milk with sugar. This is a hugely famous dessert dish, often made on special occasions like marriages and parties of all sorts. While there was a time when carrots were seasonal, this isn't the case anymore as its avalaible all year round, as you may have noticed restaurants serving this dish all year. However, you can easily make this dish at home whose flavor is so universal, that its appeal translates across people of all ages.

Boasting a rich reddish-orange color, this dish looks as good as it tastes, especially considering the nuts that we add as garnishing. When cooked in milk, the combination of the milk and carrots is truly unbelievable and creamy. Some people use condensed milk instead of the milk and sugar. The cardamom powder add a great flavor to the dish as well.

For those wondering what khoya is, its actually the residue resulting from the boiling of milk to its thickness. Khoya gives the richness and creamy texture to the halwa. While the khoya does add to the taste, if you can't get it, that's okay as well.

So, why wait - just make this dish and enjoy it to your heart's delight.

1. Peel the carrot and grate it to a thicker texture - do not make them thin.

2. Keep half the nuts whole and crush the other half.

3. Powder the cardamom.

1. Take a pan and heat the milk in this. Let it boil till it has reduced by 1/4th.

2. Add your grated carrots and raisins into it and let it cook. Let the carrot cook into the milk and we'll notice the milk evaporating and the carrot mix thickening - meanwhile, keep stirring. It takes around 20 to 25 minutes for this on a slow medium flame.

3. Now add the khoya into this, keep stirring. You will see the khoya blending into the gajar mix.

4. When it thickens and no milk is apparent in its liquid form, add sugar and keep stirring. You may add less or more sugar than what I mentioned depending on your taste.

5. The milk, gajar/carrot and sugar mix will appears liquid-ish but after stirring for 2-3 minutes, gradually the halwa thickens.

6. Now, add ghee and stir on a slow flame.

7. After a minute, switch off the flame.

8. Sprinkle cardamom powder over the gajar halwa.

9. Now add and mix all the nuts, whole and crushed.

10. Your yummy Gajar Halwa is ready.

This is usually served post meals (lunch/dinner) and is a always a hit. Its really not all that difficult to make at all and tastes grand with the addition of nuts. I do enjoy the halwa without the nuts as well but the addition of nuts does add to the quality, doesn't it? Hope you like this recipe and try it out.