Gajar ka halwa | carrot halwa

Carrot halwa is a dessert from the Punjab region in India. The name comes from the Arabic word "halwa" which means sweet. The name of the dessert in Hindi translates to halwa of carrot. This is a common dessert served on festivals and special occasions. It is often made during the winters when red Delhi carrots are found all over the markets, but as these aren't readily available here I made these with orange carrots. Make sure you choose nice tender and juicy carrots, otherwise the recipe won't work well.  This recipe serves 2. 

Ingredients

3-4 cups diced carrot (around 6 medium sized carrots) 

1/2 cup full fat milk 

1 tbsp ghee 

3/4 cup sugar

1 tsp cardamom powder 

Handful cashews and almonds, roughly chopped 

Method

• Using a fine grater, grate the carrots. Place in a large saucepan.
  
  
• Turn the heat to medium and cook for five minutes until the carrots start sweating.
  
  
• Next, add the sugar and cook until all the moisture has evaporated.
  
  
• Add the cardamom powder, ghee and milk. Cook until the milk has reduced and almost evaporated completely.
  
  
• Sprinkle in the chopped almonds and cashews and mix well. You can also add pistachios or any dried fruit of your choice (raisins are also nice!)
  
  
• Garnish with a few chopped nuts and serve. I also like to sprinkle on a little desiccated coconut.