carrots Archives | The Indian Foodie

Gajar Ka Halwa/Gajrela or Carrot Halwa (a sweet, creamy, rich pudding from Punjab, with the aromatic taste of cardamon) is a dessert that is a popular dish served at festivals. It is a warm dessert and is best enjoyed in winter. It is an easy dish with few ingredients but not a quick one (unless you use a pressure cooker). Like most halwas, it requires attention while cooking. Being a warm dish, it was a perfect dessert for cold winter days. The carrots in this recipe are regular store-bought carrots rather than the sought-after deep orange carrots normally found in wintertime in Northern India.

Print Pin

Gajar ka Halwa

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 45

Total Time 1

Servings 6

Gajar ka Halwa is a creamy, rich dessert with the aromatic taste of cardamom.

Ingredients

10 medium carrots
2 cups whole milk
1 cup whipping cream
2 tbsp unsalted butter
2 whole green cardamom
¼ tsp fresh ground green cardamom powder
1 tbsp golden raisins
½ cup granulated sugar
a pinch of salt
12 blanched almonds (save half for garnish)

Instructions

Scrub the carrots with a vegetable brush and peel them.
Using a hand grater or food processor, grate the carrots.
Transfer the grated carrots, milk, and whipping cream into a heavy-bottomed medium-sized pot. Bring to a boil on medium heat. About 10 minutes.
Add the whole cardamom and cardamom powder. Simmer on medium-low, occasionally stirring, until 75% of the milk is reduced. About 20 minutes.
Add the sugar and golden raisins. Stir in half the nuts. Cook for another 10 minutes until most of the liquid has evaporated, but the halwa is still moist.
Carefully transfer the cooked dessert to a serving dish and garnish with the rest of the nuts. Serve hot or warm.

Notes

You can use sautéed cashew nuts instead of almonds. If you are not sure of nut allergies when serving to guests, you can omit cooking the halwa with the nuts and just serve them on the side.

You can also garnish with silver foil to get that traditional, authentic feeling!

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Indian

Keyword: carrots, dessert, pudding

Your Next Recipe

I first learned to make this dish when my husband, who was in the Air Force at that time, was attending Defence Services Staff College in Wellington, India. We were about 300 couples that were 30+ years old. It was a fun time for the ladies, though the husbands were kept busy studying. With dinner parties almost every other day, there was a great exchange of recipes and competitive cooking. Thank you, Mimi, for this recipe!

This is a good rice dish when inviting guests over as it is light on the stomach and goes well with vegetarian and non-vegetarian curries, curried vegetables, and dals.

Kala Zeera Gajar Chawal (Black Cumin Carrot Pilaf)

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 30

Total Time 50

Servings 4

A flavor-packed rice pilaf with spices and carrots.

Ingredients

2 cups basmati rice
½ carrot (peeled and coarsely grated)
2 tbsp cooking oil
4 cups water
Salt to taste

Seasonings

2 bay leaves
2 small green cardamoms
1 large black cardamom
4-5 cloves
1 small cinnamon stick
1 whole green Serrano chili (optional)

Garnish

½ cup thinly sliced onions (sautéed golden brown)
¼ cup sautéed cashew nuts (optional)
3 hard-boiled eggs (peeled and cut in half)

Instructions

Sort and clean rice of any grit. Place in a pot or bowl and wash 3-4 times, rubbing grains gently between your fingers. Cover with at least 2 inches of water and let soak for 15-20 minutes, then drain.
In a large pot, heat oil on medium heat. Add cumin, cardamoms, cloves, and cinnamon at once, stir for a minute, and add drained rice. Sauté carefully for 3-4 few minutes until most of the moisture is evaporated and the rice grains start to look translucent, approx. 5 minutes. (Do not brown!)
Add 4 cups of water and salt to taste, then cover and bring to a boil for 15 minutes.
When the water is half evaporated and you see little pits appearing on top of the rice, add the grated carrot, stir slowly and gently, then cover and let simmer on low heat for about 10-15 minutes. Keep a careful eye on it at this stage to make sure no rice is sticking to the bottom of the pot. You can test to see if it is done by taking a cooked grain and squishing it with your finger. If it is granular, it needs to cook a little more.
You can also heat the oven to 180-200°F, and once you add the grated carrot, put the pot in the oven and let it cook for another half an hour. Make sure it is a pot that can handle oven heat—you don’t want melted handles on your best non-stick!
Serve on a rice platter or dish and garnish with boiled eggs, fried onions, and cashew nuts.

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: Indian

Keyword: carrots, rice, spices

Photo by Indian Army – Wikipedia

Your Next Recipe