How to Make Carrot Halwa

    

                 carrot halwa recipe

I use Nestle everyday for this. Stir and cook until the halwa thickens. When I made this I used the regular carrots as Delhi gajar is seasonal and is not available in Singapore throughout the year.

Ingredients

500 grams carrots (tender, young)

½ tin condensed milk (½ cup + 2 tablespoons)

¼ teaspoon cardamom powder or 1 teaspoon rose water

1½ tablespoon ghee (divided – ½ tablespoon + 1)

¼ cup chopped nuts (cashews, pistas,almonds)

2 tablespoons raisins

Instructions:

1.Wash and peel young 500 grams carrots well. When they become plump, remove to a plate.

Milk powder is also known as dry milk and is sold in the grocery stores. However a pressure cooker too works well.

If you do not have cardamom powder, crush 4 green cardamoms in a mortar pestle or a spice jar.

2.On a low heat, roast 10 pistachios, 5 to 6 almonds and 5 cashew nuts until crunchy. Set aside.

3. Serve chilled or warm.

This method comes handy when you want to make this dessert for an occasion as it is quick to make. Add ½ tablespoon ghee and heat the pan. Taste test and add more milk powder or sugar to adjust the sweetness levels.

Add cardamom powder and turn off the heat. Let the pressure drop naturally.

Stir the carrots as they cook until tender. Wash 500 grams (half kg) carrots thoroughly under running water. Make this carrot halwa the old-fashioned way from scratch using whole milk or follow the shortcut ways using condensed milk, khoya or milk powder. (Optional – If using regular carrots and not (delhi gajar) red carrots then you can saute the carrots in ghee until a nice aroma comes out then pour milk. Keep stirring to prevent burning at the bottom. If using a pressure cooker, pressure cook for 1 whistle on a medium heat. So gajar halwa is nothing but Indian carrot pudding.

But it’s not the pudding you are probably thinking of ! This neither has an egg nor a thickening agent/ ingredient. Since I used a heavy bottom pan, I didn’t have to stir very often. Especially when the milk has almost evaporated.

4.  Then add 2 tablespoons raisins. If you prefer to use raisins, you may fry them in ghee until plump. Next add half cup + 2 tablespoons sugar and stir.

5.  However using one of these ingredients will help you save some time as you don’t need to cook down the ingredients longer. Remove them to a chopping board, cool and chop them.

5.  Especially when the milk has almost evaporated.

7. If you want to you can add the ¼ cup chopped nuts. This prevents the halwa from sticking to the pan & burning. Add grated carrots. You will have be cautious always towards the end. This delicious dessert is delicately scented with cardamom powder and garnished with chopped nuts. A food processor quickens the process of grating. But I suggest consistently keep checking otherwise the halwa will stick at the bottom.

8. However, you can use the regular carrots the same way in my recipe.

methods of making Carrot halwa

Traditional carrot halwa is made by slow cooking grated carrots with full fat milk which is easy to make but takes some time as all of the moisture and liquid from carrots, milk and sugar has to evaporate and then thicken the halwa.

The traditional method does not used processed ingredients like condensed milk, evaporated milk, khoya/mawa or milk powder. At stage sprinkle milk powder all over and mix well to incorporate the milk powder.

Stir and continue to cook until most of the moisture if evaporated. Cook on a medium to low heat until carrots become tender. Using condensed milk cuts down half the cooking time and the resulting halwa is much richer, flavorful and delicious.

To make this, you can use Delhi gajar or the regular carrots. When the moisture is half evaporated, add 1 tablespoon ghee and stir well.

9. Use the fine grater if you have a food processer.

 Serve with chopped nuts.

. Grate them either using a food processor or hand grater. Set aside. A lot of people especially in the North make carrot halwa with Delhi carrots since these have a sweeter flavor and are much more juicer than the other kinds. Stir and cook. So if you own one, you can use it.

Make sure you use a heavy bottom large pot or pan for this recipe as it helps to prevent the halwa from sticking to the bottom and burning. You will find this served even in buffets, Thali and almost at every feast because it is the Ultimate winner and is the best!

This classic dessert gets its name “Gajar Halwa” since carrots are known as “Gajar” in Hindi and Halwa is a pudding like dessert from Indian Sub-Continent. Then add sugar and continue to cook on a low heat. Slow cooking the carrots with milk until all of the liquid evaporates, imparts a magical flavor and lovely pudding like texture to the dish.

In India, a special kind of carrots known as Delhi gajar is widely available during the winters. Fry them until lightly golden. Depending on the kind you use, adjust the quantity of sugar and milk powder to suit your taste.

Ingredients

½ kg carrots – grated or fine processed

1/3 cup milk

¾ to 1 cup milk powder (dry milk, I use nestle everyday)

2 to 3 tbsps ghee

¼ teaspoon cardamom powder (adjust to taste)

4 to 8 tablespoons sugar (adjust to taste depending on the milk powder)

Chopped nuts as required

Instructions

Add grated carrots to a heavy bottom pot or pressure cooker and pour milk. Just before you finish off, add half teaspoon cardamom powder.

Finally garnish carrot halwa with nuts & raisins. Sugar melts and carrot halwa becomes slightly gooey. Sugar melts and carrot halwa turns gooey once again. In this post I share the recipes for all these 4 methods along with Instant pot instructions.

Gajar halwa is immensely popular in India & is most often made in the households during winters when carrots are in season. Stir and cook on a medium flame. OR Alternately chop the nuts first and fry them in one tablespoon ghee until golden and crunchy. You will have be cautious always towards the end. Peel and fine grate them. Carrot halwa also known as Gajar ka halwa or Gajrela is a traditional North Indian dessert made by simmering fresh grated carrots with full fat milk, sugar and ghee. Next to the same pan, pour 2 cups milk and begin to heat it.

Simmer Carrots with Milk

10. Depending on the availability of ingredients and time you can choose one of these methods:

Traditional method with milk.

Carrot halwa with condensed milk under 15 mins.

Gajar halwa with khoya – Make this during festive season when you have surplus khoya/ mawa to use up.

Gajar ka halwa with milk powder – Make this when you are short of milk.