Gajar ka Halwa

I believe Gajar ka Halwa is one of the greatest desserts of India, and I think nobody can resist it. This is a great delicacy in winters, and almost everyone loves it.
I would also like to mention that I have taken this recipe from my lovely husband who is an expert in preparing Gajar ka Halwa. Trust me, it always turns out so well that we feel bad once it gets over at home.

Serving: 5 - 6 people

Time: 60 minutes (Cooking and Preparation)



Ingredients:

1) Indian Red carrots - 1.5 kgs

These carrots are only available in winters; hence, this is one of the reasons that why this dish is prepared during that season. Do not mix them with the Orange carrots as those are totally different. Gajar ka Halwa is prepared only with red carrots.

Do not grind the carrots in the grinder as it takes out all the juice from them. In order to get a great taste, please grate them manually or use a food processor.

2) Sugar: 3 table spoons (It depends on your taste level; however, I prefer less sugar than the normal)

3) Almonds

4) Raisins

5) Four Cardamom seeds for a nice fragrance and taste. Mash them properly.

5) Milk - 0.5 Kgs
6) Amul Mithai Mate - 4 Table spoons
7) Desi Ghee - 2 Table spoons


Procedure:

Take a vessel (we need a vessel which has a heavy base) and put Desi ghee into it. Once the ghee is heated up, add the grated carrots.

Health tip: Desi Ghee is very good for health and is must for Women. Of course, taken in limited quantity, it gives tons of benefits and adds great taste in the food. I understand people say that it also helps in increasing weight which is absolutely true; however, taken in limited quantity, it does not increase the weight and is very beneficial for health.

Cook the carrots on slow burner for 15 - 20 minutes and make sure that you stir them after every 30 seconds.

Once the carrots are cooked, you will notice a change in the color as shown in the image below, and you will also experience a sweet smell.

The color and the fragrance give an indication that the carrots are cooked, and now we can go ahead and add the milk. Use good quality milk; however, I used Tetra pack to prepare this.

Stir the mixture while adding the milk and wait for a boil as shown in the image below.



Once you notice the boil, please add the raisins.

Mix everything properly and cook it on slow burner for 15 - 20 minutes.
After every two minutes, you need to stir the mixture. Please note that it is very important to stir the mixture while it is getting cooked on slow burner else the raisins will spoil the milk. 

After 15 - 20 minutes, once the milk is dried up, please add the milkmaid and cardamom seeds powder. Again, cook it up for 10 - 15 minutes on slow burner. Make sure that the Gajar ka Halwa is all dry.

Once you feel that it is dried properly, take it off from the stove and add the sugar. We do not add the sugar while the Halwa is on burner because Sugar will stick to the base of the vessal and will resists seperation; hence, it is always a good practice to add it while taking off the dish from the burner.

And here you go. Your delicious Gajar ka Halwa is absolutely ready. Garnish it with grated almonds and enjoy it. I am having it right now while writing this post :-)

I hope you all liked this recipe. If you have any questions please let me know, and I would be more than happy to answer them.

Happy eating!!