Gajar ka Halwa is one of the most popular traditional desserts associated with the North India and Pakistan. It is also known as Gajrela is Urdu and Punjabi. It is traditionally eaten during all festivals in India mainly on the occasion of Diwali, Holi, Eid-ul-fitr and Raksha Bandhan. It is also the most relished dessert during winters.
Below given is an easy recipe to prepare it:
Preparation Time: 15-20 minutes (Wash, peel and grate the carrot. Crush the nuts to small pieces)
Cooking Time: 40-45 minutes
Nutritional content: This dish is a combination of milk, nuts, sugar, desi ghee and grated carrot. The carrots are rich in dietary fibre, Vitamin A, B6, C and K and potassium. The milk, desi ghee and nuts provide protein.
Taste type: Mild sweet to sweet (depending upon sweetness required)
Recipe yield: 6 servings
Ingredients:
- Grated carrot (Gajar) - ½ kg
- Milk - 1 litre
- Sugar to taste
- Dry fruits {Cashew (kaju) and Almonds (badaam) crushed to small pieces along with raisins (kismis)}: ½ small cup
- Desi ghee - 2 table spoon
Procedure:
- Wash the carrots (gajar) well, and peel them off and wash again. Then grate (kaddukas) the carrots (If you do not have grater, then cut the carrots into small pieces)
- In a light base vessel (bhagona/ pateela), pour the milk and allow it to boil.
- Add the grated carrot (gajar) to the boiling milk, mix well and lower the flame allowing it to cook.
- At every 5 minutes stir the cooking carrot sraping off from bottom and sides. Do it carefully to avoid breaking the grated carrot.
- Cook in this pattern for 30 minutes till the milk is completely absorbed but not dried completely.
- In a seperate pan, add all the desi ghee and heat it. To it add the nuts (kaju, badaam) and roast them to golden brown and keep aside. Turn off the flame and wait for the carrots to cook.
- When the carrot is cooked completely, add sugar to it and mix well. You will notice that this will moisten the mixture again. Stir well and cook till water evaporates, but it should be moist and juicy. Turn off the flame.
- Heat the pan containing desi ghee and transfer the cooked halwa to the pan and stir well for 5 minutes and turn off the flame. This will enhance the taste and bring a beautiful shine.
- Transfer it to a beautiful serving bowl and garnish with crushed and roasted nuts (kaju, badaam) and raisins (kismis). Serve hot.
(Tips: 1. Always use fresh milk for halwa, because the carrots (gajar) can cause curdling of the milk; 2. Never add sugar while cooking, as it may result in curdling of the milk; 3. Do not overcook to prevent drying up of halwa. The halwa should appear soft and moist.)
(Kindly note: Milk has only been used to get the rich creamy texture and taste of halwa, instead of khoya.)