Gajar ka halwa or carrot halwa is one of the easiest recipes.Probably one of the most popular dessert.You can make it an evening, prior to the big day.Serve it hot on a cool winter morning.You can also pair it with some cold ice cream.You can use sugar to add sweetness .You can use jaggery as an healthier alternative.
First of all,it is kid friendly and elders can have it too.Therefore immensely popular.Mostly,it is a regular dessert at most wedding menus.Hence,you will never find someone saying no to this delectable gajrela.
You can make it with or without nuts.
Indian carrot dessert never disappoints as it is rich in flavor and texture.
How to make dark orange gajar ka halwa?
Red carrots are available only in winter in India.Some people resort to using red colour to get that richness.However, we didn't want to go that way.Having a young kid at home,we do not use colors.We always want to see on how to make things better.We have made this recipe with the orange carrots.
Traditional red carrots are not available in Australia.Hence, getting its deep red colour is a challenge.However,adding some beetroot did the trick. Presenting, Indian carrot pudding with Aussie orange carrots. We could finally make the halva as it should.Deep rich red.Adding beets makes no difference to taste.In fact, it only adds to the nutrient value.
It increases the iron content as well natural sweetness.Win-Win!
Is Carrot halwa served hot or cold?
Primarily its served warm or hot as there are lot of milk solids in the halwa that are not edible if served cold.It can be served on its own or sometimes with vanilla ice cream.
Ways to make carrot halwa
- You can make Gajar halwa with khoya /mawa.
- You can also make it with milkmaid or condensed milk. However,you will need to adjust sugar accordingly.Therefore it may go up in calories too.
- Another way of making it is adding some condensed milk along with normal milk. This cuts the time but adds the sugar.
Click on the link below to watch the gajar ka halwa video
How to make carrot halwa?
- Cook the grated carrots with milk in a saucepan.
- Reduce it to one third.
- Add ghee to it and let it cook until rawness of carrots disappears.Keep mixing with a spatula.
- Add grated beets to it and mix well.
- Cook until it dries and comes together as a pudding.
Read the carrot pudding recipe below:
Gajar ka Halwa
Ingredients
- 750 grams grated carrots
- 1/2 cup small beetroot boiled and grated (optional)
- 1.5 liter full fat milk
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/3 cup ghee or clarified butter
- 1/2 cup dry fruits almonds,pistachio,cashews
- 1 tsp cardamom powder
Instructions
- Boil milk over low flame, once it has boiled,add grated carrots and let it simmer
- Keep stirring and scraping from the bottom of the pan.
- Once the milk is reduced by half,add grated beetroot (this is optional)
- Add remaining ingredients except the ghee and let it cook on slow flame.
- Once the milk has dried up, you can move to a pan (cast iron / Steel/ non-stick)
- Add ghee, 1 tablespoon by 1 tablespoon, while cooking the halwa
- It will be done once it starts coming together as homogeneous mixture.
- Turn off the heat,garnish with more chopped dry fruits
- Add milk,cover&cook on medium flame until the milk boils.
- Add remaining dry ingredients & cook on low flame.
- Add remaining ghee, cook on low flame until dry.
- Transfer mix to a non stick pan,cook on low flame for 30 mins.
- Garnish with dry fruits,serve warm with ice-cream.
Notes
Nutrition
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Ramesh says
Very tasty