Carrot halwa (Gajar Ka Halwa) is a wonderful dessert dish for any party. It is very delicious and will be liked by all people around the world. I prepared this tasteful dessert for a party where a Hungarian family (my son’s friends) came and they loved to eat this recipe. For every party i loved to prepare this dessert. Carrot halwa is easy to prepare and very delicious. Gajar Halwa can be served hot or cold.
The main ingredients of gajar ka halwa are freshly grated carrots, milk, sugar, khoya, and ghee. The quantity and quality may vary according to personal taste. In the sugar free variant, sugar is excluded from the recipe. For cooking gajar ka halwa, a cooker or kadai is usually preferred. Carrots must first be grated and then dried before cooking. The grated carrots are then put into a heated pan with a specific amount of milk or khoya and sugar. After stirring for 4–5 minutes, roughly chopped cashew nuts are added and 10–15 minutes later a specific amount of pure ghee is added as well. Finally, it is often served with a garnish of almonds and pistachios.
Variations
In the carrot-papaya halwa, equal amounts of carrot and papaya are used. First, a mixture of carrot and papaya scrapings is prepared. This mixture is fried in a kadai or a cooker with ghee for about 5 minutes. The rest of the process is same as the basic recipe. This recipe has become popular lately because papaya is added to it which provides a different flavor and taste compared to the regular gajar ka halwa. Red velvet carrot halwa is another famous variation of the gajar ka halwa. It is made by heating a comparatively large amount of milk cream along with carrots, sugar, rose water and saffron over low flame. Red velvet carrot halwa is also a very good source of Vitamin A and Calcium.
Other lesser-known variations include Carrot and beetroot halwa. In the carrot and beetroot halwa, grated beetroot is added to grated carrots and this mixture is heated in a kadai on a low flame and further a specific amount of mava and sugar per choice is added to it. After 30 minutes of stirring and cooking, carrot and beetroot halwa is ready to be served.
Presenting Carrot Halwa
Video making of Carrot Halwa
Carrot Halwa | Gajar Ka Halwa
Equipments Needed
- Pressure Cooker
Ingredients
- ½ kg Carrot
- 1 cup Sugar
- 6 tablespoon Ghee (Clarified butter)
- 2 cups Milk
- 1 teaspoon Cardamom Powder
- 10 nos Cashew
- 1 tablespoon Almond Slivered
Instructions
Preparing Carrots
- Peel the carrots and rinse them thoroughly under running water.½ kg Carrot
- The next step is to grate the carrots. I’m using a mixer grinder for this process. Start by chopping the peeled carrots into thin circular slices to make them easier to blend in the mixer. Alternatively, you can use a traditional grater to shred the carrots manually.
- Grate the carrots in a mixer grinder using the grating blade that typically comes with modern mixers. Use the pulse function, giving it a pulse or two at regular intervals, to achieve evenly grated carrots without overprocessing.
- Transfer the grated carrots and milk into a vessel, then place it in a pressure cooker. Cook the mixture for 2-3 whistles, allowing the carrots to soften and absorb the milk's flavor.2 cups Milk
- Once the pressure has released, carefully remove the cooked carrot vessel from the pressure cooker. You may notice excess milk remaining, which will be cooked further to achieve the desired consistency.
- Heat a heavy-bottomed pan and transfer the cooked grated carrot and milk into it. If you use a non-stick pan, you can stir the mixture at regular intervals, unlike traditional iron or indium pans (Illupu Chatti in Tamil), which require continuous stirring. Keep the flame at medium-high and allow the milk and carrot mixture to thicken as the milk reduces.
- Once the milk is almost absorbed, add sugar to the mixture and stir well. Adjust the sugar according to your preference—use ¾ cup for a milder sweetness or more if you prefer a sweeter halwa. Adding sugar will cause the carrot halwa mixture to dilute slightly, so patience is key. Stir the mixture continuously over low flame, allowing the sugar to dissolve completely and the halwa to thicken again to the desired consistency.1 cup Sugar
- Next, add cardamom powder and ghee to the halwa and continue stirring. Add ghee in the regular intervals and keep stirring until the mixture starts to leave the sides of the pan. The halwa should come together into a ball-like consistency without sticking to the pan. In a separate pan, heat a small amount of ghee and fry the cashews until golden. Add the fried cashews, along with finely chopped almonds (badam) and pistachios (pista), to the carrot halwa and mix well. Finally, remove the halwa from the flame and transfer it to a plate for serving.1 teaspoon Cardamom Powder, 10 nos Cashew, 1 tablespoon Almond, 6 tablespoon Ghee (Clarified butter)