Gajar ka Halwa ( Carrot Pudding )

Gajar ka halwa is a mouthwatering dessert made of carrots and milk. It is prepared as a special treat in India. It is a very rich pudding made of lots of ghee , dry fruits, nuts and khoya.
I remember mom used to make it in a very big vessel and store it in fridge for atleast 4-5 days.
I have eaten the best gajar ka halwa when we were in Delhi. We used to get those red carrots there in Delhi.
However, red carrots are sadly not easily found everywhere. In hyderebad, we used to get orange ones. In US, I found those red carrots only once, never again.
Halwa made of red ones are definitely better than the orange ones, nevertheless, that should not stop us from making this halwa. This one is absolutely delicious too.

Ingredients:

• Grated Carrots - 4 cups
• Whole Milk - 4 cups
• Sugar - 2 cups
• Cardamom Powder - 1/4 tsp
• Ghee - 1/4 cup
• Dry Fruits - cashewnuts, raisins, pistashios ( for garnishing )

Directions:

To make Khoya:

• Divide milk into two portions. We will make khoya with half of the milk.
• To make khoya, take 2 cups of milk in a heavy bottom pan, bring it to boil.
• Reduce the heat and continue to cook. Keep stirring , making sure milk doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan.
• Milk will gradually reduce to a thick dry lump. This is khoya , also known as mawa.
• Keep aside.
• You can also use store bought khoya, instead of home made one.

To make Gajar ka Halwa:

• Heat ghee in a wide non-stick pan, roast cashew nuts and raisins for few seconds till cashews turn slightly golden. Remove and keep aside for garnishing at the end.
• In the same ghee , add grated carrots. Fry them on low-medium heat, continously stirring.
• Simultaneously, boil the remaining milk in another pot. Cook till the milk is reduced to half the quantity.
• The carrots should be 3/4th cooked in about 10-12 minutes. This is when you have to add the boiled milk. Cook till all the milk is evaporated. Stir continuously.
• When you see the milk dried up, add khoya( mawa ), sugar and cardamom powder. Mix well.
• After you add sugar, it will make the halwa moist, so keep stirring and let it cook for another 5-7 minutes till the halwa is no longer moist and starts to ooze out the ghee.
• Turn off the flame, transfer it onto a serving plate and garnish with roasted cashew nuts, raisins and sliced pistachios.
• You can serve it hot, cold or even at room temperature.

You can store it in fridge for about 3-4 days and warm it just before serving.

Microwave Method:

You can make this halwa in microwave as well. This is much easier and less time consuming than the stove top method for sure.

• Just add grated carrots and milk in a microwave safe deep bowl and cook for 10 minutes uncovered.
• Take it out of the microwave, mix it well and cook again for 10 minutes uncovered.
• Add sugar and mix well and cook again uncovered for 10 minutes.
• Take it out and mix well . Check for the moisture. If you still find moisture, cook again for 5 minutes. Repeat this process till all the moisture evaporates.
• Add the powdered cardamom to the halwa and mix well.
• Now heat ghee in a pan, and roast cashew nuts and raisins. Pour this over the halwa nad mix well.

Tip:  You can replace sugar with sweetened condensed milk.

Enjoy !!!