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)