Before I started making this batch of gajar ka halwa, I had a distinct idea how I wanted it to taste. I wanted the carrots to play main character, for the flavour of ghee to shine through, for the sweetness to be an undertone, and for there to be a nice crunch and texture from the nuts and raisins. I eyeballed measurements and added as I went, so consider the recipe below an approximation (as you should every recipe in here, actually). It’s hard to mess up gajar ka halwa, trust me. Serve warm or cold, it’s up to you. I personally don’t like gajar ka halwa with vanilla ice cream but it seems like a popular combination so go for it if it pleases you. {You may also like this carrot kheer recipe}
Ingredients:
4 cups of grated carrots, packed 2 cups of milk 1.5 cups of water 1/3 cup of sweetened condensed milk 1 tbsp of ghee 12 cashew nuts 10 raisins 3 pods of cardamom, powdered
How to Make Gajar ka Halwa:
- Add the grated carrots, milk and water to a pressure cooker pan. Mix well and pressure cook for 2 whistles – about 7-8 mins. Turn off flame and let the steam release on its own.
- Meanwhile, heat the ghee and fry the cashew nuts and raisins until golden. Set aside.
- Once the pressure cooker is ready to be opened, turn on flame again and keep it on low. Bring the carrot milk mixture to boil again and continue to cook on low flame for 10-15 mins… … until the mixture thickens and the milk becomes a bit grainy.
- Add the condensed milk and mix well. Let it cook for another 2-3 mins. Adjust the amount of condensed milk to suit your sweetness levels. I didn’t add any sugar or other sweeteners beyond this.
- Next add the roasted cashew nuts and raisins and the ghee it was roasted in. Top up with the cardamom powder. Mix well. Taste test and make sure all is ok and remove from fire. Notes:
