Ingredients
Base
- 1.5 kgred carrots, grated
- 1.5 litreswhole milk
To finish
- 100 gghee
- 200 gsugar
- 100 gkhoya or milk powder
- 1 tspground cardamom
- a pinch of saffron
Nuts and fruit
- 50 graisins
- 50 gcashews and almonds, chopped
Directions
- Use red winter carrots if you can find them. They are sweeter, softer and less watery than orange ones, and they are what the dish was built around.
- Grate the carrots on the fine side of a box grater rather than in a processor, which cuts rather than shreds and releases far too much water.
- Cook the grated carrot in the milk in a wide heavy pan over a medium heat.
- Now reduce it, stirring often, for 45 minutes to an hour, until almost all the milk has evaporated.
- This long reduction is the entire dish. The milk solids concentrate and caramelise onto the carrot, and a halwa made by simmering carrots in cream for twenty minutes is a different and much thinner thing.
- Stir more frequently as it thickens and scrape the base each time, because it catches easily towards the end.
- When the milk has almost gone, add the ghee and fry the mixture for 10 minutes, stirring, until it darkens and the ghee separates out at the edges.
- Add the sugar and cook for 10 minutes more.
- Add the sugar late. Added early it draws water out of the carrots and roughly doubles the reduction time.
- Stir in the khoya, cardamom, saffron and raisins and cook for 5 minutes, until it comes together as a glossy mass.
- Fry the nuts in a little ghee until golden and scatter them over the top.
- Serve warm, which is how it is eaten right through the north Indian winter.
Technique
- It uses the Mughal-era technique of reducing milk, which is the same principle behind rabri and khoya.
- A wide pan reduces far faster than a deep one, and over an hour that difference is substantial.
- It reheats well with a splash of milk and freezes for months.
Substitutions
- Ordinary orange carrots, accepting a slightly less sweet and more watery result.
- Condensed milk in place of some of the milk and sugar, which cuts the time considerably.
Variations
- Made with a pressure cooker to shorten the reduction.
- With grated beetroot for a strikingly coloured version.
- Served cold with a scoop of ice cream, which is a restaurant habit.
History
North Indian winter pudding of grated red carrots slow-cooked in milk and ghee, using the Mughal-era technique of reducing milk.
Frequently asked questions
What is Gajar ka Halwa?
Gajar ka Halwa is a dessert from India: grated carrots slow-cooked in milk, ghee and nuts; winter treat. North Indian winter pudding of grated red carrots slow-cooked in milk and ghee, using the Mughal-era technique of reducing milk.
How long does Gajar ka Halwa take to make?
Gajar ka Halwa takes 30 min of preparation and 1 hr 30 min of cooking. The recipe makes 8 servings. It is rated medium to make.
What can I substitute in Gajar ka Halwa?
Yes, within limits. Ordinary orange carrots, accepting a slightly less sweet and more watery result. Condensed milk in place of some of the milk and sugar, which cuts the time considerably.
What is the most important thing to get right in Gajar ka Halwa?
Grate the carrots on the fine side of a box grater rather than in a processor, which cuts rather than shreds and releases far too much water.
