Carrots are healthy & nutritious – they are chock full of Vitamin A, antioxidants & dietary fiber. Sometimes they are so sweet & almost even juicy, it’s hard to believe that they are vegetables! Most kids love carrots & almost all kids LOVE dessert, so using carrots in a dessert is simply a wonderfully delicious idea.

Gajracha Halwa is a delicious carrot based dessert. Halwa (or halva) is a bit hard to describe & simply calling it pudding just doesn’t do this wonderful recipe justice. You’re just going to have to trust me & try it.

If you prefer to use a hand grater, then by all means – go for it. If you have a food processor, then your prep time is a snap, just remember to remove the outer peel first.


GAJRACHA HALWA (Carrot Dessert)

2 lbs carrots, peeled & grated
2 cups milk (2% is fine)
2 cups of sugar, to taste (you can use brown sugar or honey if you wish)
½ tsp ground cardamom powder
pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
½ cup of toasted unsalted nuts (you can use pistachios, cashews or almonds), chopped
½ cup yellow raisins
4 tbsp unsalted butter (or ghee)
2 tbsp chopped toasted unsalted nuts for garnish

METHOD:

In a large deep skillet or wok on medium low heat, add 1 tbsp of the butter or ghee. When melted, add the raisins and sauté until nice & plumped. Remove the raisins from the pan & set aside until needed. Now add the nuts & sauté for a few minutes until fragrant. Remove the nuts from the pan & set aside until needed.

Now add the remaining butter (or ghee) to the same pan. When melted, add the grated carrots & sauté until slightly softened, then add enough milk to just barely cover the carrots. Stir well to combine and cook until the carrots soften completely & have absorbed all of the milk. There should be almost no milk left in the pan. Next, add the sugar, raisins & nuts along with the spices (ground cardamom powder & freshly grated nutmeg. Let cook for another 5-10 minutes, garnish with some extra chopped nuts. Serve warm with a dollop of whipped cream or vanilla ice cream/gelato.


VARIATIONS:

You can make this recipe using butternut squash or acorn squash instead of carrots.

To make Pumpkin Halwa (Bhoplyacha Halwa), you can use the same recipe but add pumpkin in place of the carrots.



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