Cream of the Crop Week 3: Gajar Ka Halwa (Carrot Halwa)

 

Recipe of the Week:  Gajar Ka Halwa

Gajar Ka Halwa by Nandita Venkatesan A delicious carrot based Indian dessert that is rich and creamy! Ingredients 3 cups grated carrots ( roughly 6-8 carrots) 1 cup whole milk ( You want a 3:1 ratio of carrots to milk) 1/2 cup sugar ( I use brown turbinado sugar) 4-5 cardamom pods ( you can substitute with cardamom powder) 1.5 tablespoons ghee or butter handful of nuts  ( optional) Step 1.  Roast the nuts in 1/2 tablespoon ghee/butter until brown and set aside. Step 2. Grate the carrots using either a box grater or a food processor. If you are using a food processor - take care not to grate too finely or they will become mushy.  Step 3a. - Instant Pot In an instant pot - add the remaining 1 tablespoon ghee/ butter and roast the grated carrots until they are slightly softened. This should take roughly 2-3 minutes. Add 3/4 cup of whole milk and pressure cook on high for 5 minutes with the valve on "Sealing". Once pressure cooked, you can move the valve to "Venting" and wait for the pressure to release. Then set to "Saute" mode, add the remaining milk, and let it boil. Step 3b. - No Instant Pot If you are not using an instant pot - saute the grated carrots in 1 tablespoon ghee and butter until they are softened. After roughly 3 minutes, add 1 cup of whole milk and cook on high until it reduces and the milk evaporates away. This will take longer - but will also have stronger flavor.  Step 4. Add 1/2 cup sugar. I used brown turbinado sugar because I found that it caramelizes better. You can add more sugar if you prefer it sweeter.  Step 5. Crush the cardamom pods and add it to the halwa. Keep cooking until it thickens - this will take 10-15 minutes.  Step 6. Taste test for sweetness and creaminess! Feel free to add more ghee/ sugar if you want a richer flavor. Top with optional roasted nuts.   About Nandita       A recent transplant to the UWS, Nandita enjoys getting involved in her neighborhood and getting outdoors. While she mostly makes Indian food, she loves making simplified versions of dishes that are easy to prepare on weekdays and incorporate local ingredients. Her go-tos are fun and tasty vegetable and lentil stews. Favorite dishes include rhubarb rice, aloo saag, cabbage kootu (a rich and thick cabbage, peas, and carrot stew).