167 – Gajar (Carrot) Halwa – Indian Recipe

Ingredients :

• 1 pound of carrots
• 3/4 cup of white sugar
• 1/4 cup of Khoa (milk solid) – you can get it from the Indian store
• 1/2 cup of Mawa (milk powder) – you can get it from the Indian store
• 1/4 cup of raisins – soaked in water for 30 minutes
• 1/4 cup of raw unsalted almonds – crushed
• 1/4 cup of raw unsalted pistachios – crushed
• 5 green cardamom pods (peel to extract black seeds. crush seeds to use)
• 3 cups of milk
• 1/4 cup of ghee (clarified butter)

Directions :

Preparing the Carrots:
1- Peel and grate the carrots. A usual grater has 4 sides (tiny holes, medium, and large, then a slicer – use the medium holes).
2- Pour 3 cups of milk in a sauce pan and add the grated carrots. Cook on medium heat for 20-25 minutes.
3- Once the carrots are cooked, drain them from the milk. Discard the milk.

Other preparation steps:
1- Make sure to soak the raisins in water for 30 minutes before using them in the recipe.
2- Peel the cardamom pods. Discard the green skin and keep the black seeds. Crush the black seeds using a cup.
3- Crush the almonds and pistachios. If you are not good with knifes, use a cup to do so.

Making the Gajar Halwa:
1- In a pan, melt the ghee on medium heat.
2- Add the cooked carrots, khoa, and mawa. Mix well and cook on medium-high until the carrots become golden brown (for around 10 minutes).
3- When the mixture starts becoming dry add the crushed cardamom seeds, the raisins (after you drain them from the water), the almonds, and pistachios. Continue cooking for a few minutes on medium heat.
4- And that’s it, the Gajar Halwa is ready to be served! you can serve it hot or cold and it goes really well with vanilla ice cream!
Bonne appétit