My Food and travel memoir

Gajar ka Halwa, also known as Carrot pudding or Gajrela, is a delightful winter delicacy. This nutritious Indian dessert can be savored hot or cold, and personally, I enjoy it hot with a scoop of ice cream. Despite its simplicity in terms of ingredients, its preparation demands patience and attention to detail. It can be cooked slowly in an open vessel, or if time is of the essence, a pressure cooker can be used for a quicker preparation. Whichever method you choose, the enjoyment derived from this dish remains unparalleled!

Ingredients

4 Cups carrot= ½ kg.

2 cups red carrots, grated

2 cups Cow’s milk (Pref full fat, if using semi add khoya)

Pinch of Saffron

2-3 Green Cardamom pods, crushed/pounded

¼ cups Ghee 

Cashew nuts, Chopped 

Almonds, Sliver

½ cup grated khoya / mawa (Optional)

¼ tsp cardamom powder

¾ Cups Sugar 

Method:

Heat ghee in a kadai. Add saffron, cardamom, grated carrot and cook till they are soft.   Around 5-7 minutes.

Add milk, bring to a boil and cook on slow flame, open or covered as needed, till all the milk is evaporated. Keep opening the lid and stir from time to time.

In another pan, add ghee, cashew nuts, almonds and sauté till golden brown.

Only after the carrots are cooked, add sugar and salt and mix well. Cook until the sugar dissolves and until the halwa thickens and ghee separates (around 4-5 minutes. Add in the nuts and If adding Khoya and cardamon powder switch off the flame and add it at this point. Serve hot or cold.

“Dessert is like a feel-good song, and the best ones make you dance.”

Chef Edward Lee