Buttery Carrot Halwa
This might just be my number one way of eating carrots: grated, slow-cooked in ghee and caramelized with milk and sugar. This popular dessert from India and Pakistan, also called Gajar ka Halwa, is a winter delicacy that taps into the natural sweetness of carrots and celebrates it. You can serve it hot or cold but I prefer having it hot with a cheeky scoop of ice cream on the side!
The hardest part of this dish is grating the carrots, but pre-shredded carrots will work equally well. I would advise going for young, orange carrots that are naturally sweeter and cook more easily. You also want to avoid as much of the core as possible when grating as that part of the carrot tends to be tougher.
Yields4 - 6 servings
Recipe CourseDessert
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoon (45 g) ghee or 3 tbsp (42 g) salted butter
- 1 lb (450 g) carrots, peeled and grated
- 2 cup (480 ml) whole milk
- 1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoon (15 g) milk powder
- Almond flakes and chopped pistachios, to serve
Directions
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Turn on the rice cooker, set the mode to Cook and add the lid to let the rice cooker preheat for about 1 minute. Add the ghee to the rice cooker pot. Put on the lid and let it melt for 1 to 2 minutes.
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Once melted, add the carrots. Fry them for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Now add the lid and let them cook for 4 to 5 minutes with the lid on. Stir them midway through.
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Pour in the milk and cook it for another 8 to 10 minutes, or until most of the milk has been absorbed. Make sure to stir midway through so the milk doesn’t burn or stick to the bottom.
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Now add the sugar and mix it well. Keep stirring until the sugar is fully incorporated. Stir in the milk powder. Finally, serve it with almond flakes and chopped pistachios.