I m sad.Annoyed.And Irritated.No its not a bad hair day.Not that my jeans have shrunk in the dryer.Not that I sprained my leg in the gym.Not even because there is static charge in my fleece pajamas every other minute due to dryness in the air here.
When everyone is making diet plans, I m making desserts.Its kind of sad because after promising myself a zillion number of times that I won’t make a dessert for at least a month this New Year,I ended up making Gajar Halwa two days back.I never knew that those juicy carrots sold by mounds at the farmers market have so much power.Enough to make me think how I have not had gajar halwa for at least a year now and that I should make one before these gorgeous orange beauties disappear from the face of the earth. Now, you know how bad I m at keeping resolutions.Now you know that even though I don’t have that much of a sweet tooth, I feel like a weakling at the mere thought of dishing out a halwa.And to top all know you know that if I tell you about a sprained leg tale at the gym next week, I m just paying the price for the greed I had shown towards carrots. To sum it you know the culprit behind my sadness – those juicy,crunchy & gorgeous looking carrots.
Gajar Halwa is one recipe I personally feel every Indian food blog should have.It has to be given that respect because of the toil that goes into making it and the taste that comes out. As a kid, I used to love going to weddings during winters coz I knew that the winter north indian wedding menu is incomplete without gajar halwa.Even if some family chose not to serve it, the wedding arrangements were regarded as just “okay”.Thats the weightage a dessert of gajar halwa carries in the northern parts of India especially.
For the uninitiated, Gajar Halwa is an Indian pudding made out of grated carrots,milk and ghee [clarified butter] topped with nuts & fragrant condiments like cardamoms etc.It is best enjoyed warm.There are many ways in which you can cook the grated carrots to softness, either using a pressure cooker or in the microwave or by cooking open. Each has its own texture and good taste.I come from a family where my grandmother was a big time cook, she had a rule in the kitchen for such traditional recipes which was that “taste takes time“. And that is how she cooked her food and fed to the family…slow cooked foods,meats which simmered in the gravies for hours and developed taste,desserts which boiled in milk until it reduced or piles of vegetable which were chopped or grated by hand to make such concoctions.
I would have not thought of making Gajar Halwa if I did not have a food processor.I can control my craving for it but I will not push myself hard enough to grate the carrots by hand,though I always salute my granny & mom for their patience & hardwork when they peeled & shredded each carrot by hand and fed us this lovely sweet dish.If this recipe really gets you excited & you wanna make it even when you dont own a FP, do go ahead but take my word of caution to keep aside at least an hour or more to grate carrots by hand. The method I have outlined here takes time at least 1-1.5 hours depending on the quantity of carrots you use but the good part is that you do not need constant stirring.You just need to come and check in between.Some people like to use khoya[dried milk] in the pudding, it tastes good in the pudding if of a good quality [which is rarely available in Indian stores even].I add homemade khoya only when there are guests at home to increase the richness of the pudding.I have written in the recipe though where & how much to add it.
I have not enhanced the pictures, my halwa did turn out this bright orange thanks to slow cooking+saffron.
What I need: [Recipe makes 6 servings]
- 4 cups shredded fresh carrots
- 5 cups half n half [or full fat whole milk]
- 1/2 cup ghee [clarified butter] [or unsalted butter]
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar [adjust to taste]
- 2 tsp saffron threads mixed with 1 tbsp warm milk
- 1 tsp green cardamom powder
- Roasted nuts & raisins for garnish
- 1.5 cups khoya [dried milk] (if using)
How I did it:
- In a heavy bottomed pan or kadhai, tip in the grated carrots and half and half. Put the pan on stove top on a medium heat.As the mixture heats up, carrots will release their water and the mix will become loose.But do not worry.Let the half n half come to a boiling point [but not boiling].
- Reduce the heat to low and let the carrots cook till they soften.The liquids will slowly evaporate and u will start seeing milk solids in the mixture. Cook on low heat till all the liquids have evaporated and the carrots have cooked. You do not need to constantly stir but stir the mixture at intervals to prevent from sticking to bottom of pan and for even cooking. For 4 cups of carrots, this reduction will approximately take 45 minutes.
- Add the saffron mix to the pan and again stir for about 10 minutes on low heat.
- Next, add the ghee[or unsalted butter] to the pan and start ‘bhuno’/cooking the halwa on low heat till you see that the color of carrots starts turning golden brown and ghee separating on the sides.This will take another 15-20 minutes or so on low heat. [This is the point where you can add fine crumbled khoya and bhuno/cook the halwa for about 8-10 minutes more till the khoya is soft but not melting]
- Add the chopped roasted nuts,cardamom powder & raisins and stir for 5 minutes or so.
- Remove the halwa from heat and let sit for 8-10 minutes to cool down a bit.Once cooled slightly, add the sugar and mix well.You do not need to cook on heat again coz the sugar will melt from the heat in the halwa.Adding sugar will loosen the halwa a bit and also enhance the color.
- Serve the halwa warm garnished with nuts.
Enjoy!
I cann’t imagine the amount of time that our mom and granny have spent grating to make this delicious sweet. Thank God- Food processor is a time saver!
It looks gorgeous!
Well, resolutions are meant to be broken… so don’t feel bad. And, yes, seeing this delicious halwa, one would definitely go weak
You should never feel healthy about making dessert! I still plan on baking a TON even through trying to lose weight. Moderation is key, especially when it involves pudding! Love this.
Looks gorgeous and delicious. I haven’t tried gajar ka halwa at home. looks I have to make now. don’t worry about resolutions, it is meant to broken.
But surely a dessert made out of carrots can’t be all that bad for you??? Hehheee :p
Looks delicious!!
oh wow love halwa i made some for hubby for diwali but he didn’t like it sob
Oh my my!!!! those pics look so appetizing.. wish i could get some…. i dont care if i break my resolutions again and again… i would love to have some… i had the resolution of losing my weight this year.. but this is irrestitible… will make some soon
Yes this is how my mum makes the gajar ka halwa the only difference being that she does not add cardamom powder. Earlier my mum used to first saute the grated carrots in pure ghee and then she would add the milk, khoya dry fruits and so on. Indeed this is the season for loads of gajar ka halwa.
I just bought a kg of carrots to make gajar ka halwa. I refrain from talking about the number of resolutions that have already gone for a toss, well I can’t let the whole world know how bad I’m with will power specially when it has to do with food? Lets keep this secret alright?
P.S. Sorry about your leg, I hope u get back to gym soon and run a mile more. Well almost.
I’m the same way. I keep telling myself that I really need to cut back on sweets after the ridiculous amount I consumed during the holidays, but that has yet to happen
At least you can tell yourself that you are eating your veggies!
Omg, i cant take my eyes from ur clicks,irresistible halwa..just drooling here..
I am making desserts too! At least you used carrots as the base – less carbs? And the combination of saffron and cardamom is delicious. I bet this halwa is SO good!
looks sinfully delicious!
Oh my…this looks so rich and inviting! I must try a halwa. Soon! Although, I’d rather you made it for me
Thanks so much for sharing this w/ the hearth and soul hop this week!
Saffron does give a great color to everything. That is the reason why I do not make resolutions for New Year. I never get to keep them not even for a month. These carrots are a very sweet temptation
Very tempting, who can resist this yummy halwa!
i can understand how hard it is to resist temptation when it comes to desserts like this! it looks so good… and such a pretty color too:) thanks for sharing this.
That color!!! Gorgeous!! you have me craving it now–I have to stop visiting food blogs—you girls are ruining my resolve!
Deeeeeeeelish!
Wow….that looks so rich. I am not a big fan of sweets, but thos epics are making me crave for the halwa now and it’s been ages I made this. Got to try this soon. I make it with condensed milk.
Wonderful recipe…and the color is just stunning!
This sounds absolutely delicious and different from anything I’ve ver had. Gotta try it!
Oh! I never had carrot pudding…yours look delicious…love the idea of all the spices and nuts in it…nice color
yummy halwa… absolutely mouthwatering..
This looks awesome! Wow. the color and texture of this dessert.
My mom used to make this all the time but then stopped! I can kind of understand now why – this is really involved! The grating alone would stop me from attempting this but it does look divine!
Halwa looks so beautiful and such a deep rich color!!! Definitely a keeper!
What an amazing idea! I’ve never tried carrot pudding.
oh what tempting pics…long since i had this….so delicious one..
I made a carrot cake and have tons of leftover carrots that were accidentally put into the food processor. Now I know what i can do with it! This looks so authentic and yummy!
Oh Tanvi i just LOVE ur bowl and the halwa can i come over?
Wow, reminds of of chilly winter evening in my native Rajasthan and mom serving this Gajar Ka Halwa with loads of ghee & nuts
Lovely color and delicious halwa!
Pingback: Litchi Pannacotta With Mango Jelly | Sinfully Spicy