Authentic Gajar ka halwa

We went to an Indian supermarket last week to stock up on some supplies, and I couldn't believe my luck - they had red winter Delhi carrots. I've been wanting to make authentic North Indian gajar ka halwa for so long now. Its one of my favourite Indian desserts, and I kept reading everywhere that there is nothing quite like carrot halwa made with the red carrots. Up until now, I've made it with the orange ones, and also (I will admit) and slightly shortened version, just to save up on time. But this time, I thought - I can't let good red carrots be made into halwa with a shortened version of the real authentic recipe. So this gajar ka halwa was a labour of love, but totally worth it. Just milk, ghee, carrots and sugar.

I have a recipe for a quicker gajar ka halwa recipe on my blog made with orange carrots, which is a little less time consuming - so a good cheat if you want to a sweet treat to satisfying your cravings. I came up with this recipe from a combination of different blogs, videos and sources.

Recipe notes:

• Speed up the preparation time by using a food processor (if you have one) with the large grating attachment for grating the carrots (don't use the small or fine grater attachment - the carrots will end up too small and then the final halwa will be like a pap - which is not what you want!)
• Use a thick bottomed saucepan or kadai to make the halwa. As it will be simmering for a long time on the hob, you need to use a saucepan which retains an even heat.
• Use whole or full-fat milk - this will give the halwa a delicious creamy flavour. Also, semi-skimmed milk won't reduce and won't give you the desired results.
• Carrot halwa freezes really well for a month. So make a big batch, put some in the freezer and then you'll have a sweet treat just waiting to be defrosted when you need to satisfy your sweet tooth!

Lets make authentic gajar ka halwa!

Ingredients:

10 red winter carrots, grated (make sure they are tender and juicy)

4 1/2 cups whole milk

4-5 tbsp ghee

175g sugar (you can add more if you like it sweeter)

1 tsp cardamom powder

10 cashews, toasted and chopped

10 almonds, toasted and chopped

10 pistachios, toasted and chopped

Method:

1. Take a large deep bottomed saucepan or kadai and add the carrots. Turn the heat to medium and let the carrots sweat for 5 minutes just to release the raw flavour.
2. Once the carrots have sweated, add the milk. Keep the heat on medium and let the milk come to the boil, and then turn down to a simmer.
3. The milk will reduce and stick to the sides. Scrap this mixture from the sides and stir the halwa frequently whilst it is cooking to prevent it from burning on the bottom. The whole reducing process will take a good 30 minutes on a low heat, so don't lose faith if it seems not to be reducing.
4. When the milk is around 75-80% reduced, add the milk, cardamom and sugar. Mix well. The sugar will cause a bit of moisture to release from the carrots, but this will also reduce, so don't stress.
5. Keep cooking and reducing the halwa until all the milk has evaporated.
6. Finally, mix in the the chopped nuts. Serve carrot halwa cold, warm or hot (up to your personal preference). A dollop or vanilla ice cream on carrot halwa is very tasty!