This is my maternal grandmother’s recipe for a quick “bazaar-like” carrot halwa.
If you search for a recipe for carrot halwa, chances are that 90% of them will ask you to cook the carrots either in milk or water or both. And if you’ve tried that, you would know that it takes FOREVER to dry out the water and it still stays a bit wet and soggy in its consistency. In comparison, the halwa you get in the bazaar (i.e. local cafes, restaurants and weddings in Pakistan) are rich and glossy. And who doesn’t love those chunky bits of dried milk? *drool*
Gajar ka Halwa (Carrot Halwa)
Course: DessertCuisine: Pakistani, IndianDifficulty: EasyServings
4
servingsPrep time
30
minutesCooking time
40
minutesTotal time
1
hour10
minutesIngredients
1kg carrots (grated)
2 tbsp ghee/oil
cardamom powder (of 2-3 cardamoms)
2 cups sugar
1 cup dry milk powder
sliced pistachios & almonds to garnish
Directions
- In a pan heat ghee/oil. Add cardamom powder and fry for 2-3 seconds.
- Add the grated carrots and stir to coat the carrots well with the oil.
- Cover and cook on low flame until the carrots are soft (takes about 15-20 minutes depending on the quality of the carrots).
- Remove the cover and dry out the water.
- Add the sugar and stir to combine. Cover and cook on low until the sugar dissolves completely.
- Remove the cover and dry out the water.
- Sprinkle the dry milk powder over the carrots (DO NOT MIX OR STIR). Cover and cook on low for 10 minutes.
- The milk should have solidified into chunks. That’s what you want.
- Turn off the flame and stir gently to combine but also still have the milk bits in chunks.
- Take out in a serving bowl and garnish with sliced nuts.
Notes
- Reduce sugar to 1.5 cups if you want to make it less sweet.
- When cooking the carrots, you don’t need to add water or milk because the carrots will release their own water and steam/cook in it.
