Prep time: 25 minutes

Cook time: 30 minutes

Serves: 4-6

Calories: 20607

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An easy recipe for a traditional Indian carrot-based dessert – a favourite across North Indian households.

Ingredients:

  • ½ kg carrots (preferably red carrots)
  • 1 black cardamom, powdered
  • 3 tablespoons almonds
  • 3 tablespoons pistachios
  • 100g khoya
  • 150g sugar (about ¾ cup)
  • 12-15 raisins (yellow)
  • 6-8 strands saffron
  • 3 tablespoons milk
  • 3 green whole cardamom, powdered
  • ¼ cup water

 

Instructions:

  1. Grate carrots. In a large wok, boil carrots with water and black cardamom. Cover and allow to steam on low heat for about 10 minutes until almost dry but moist.
  2. Meanwhile, soak almonds and pistachios in a little water for 10-15 minutes. Peel and thinly slice for garnish. Soak strands of saffron in milk.
  3. Once carrots are cooked, add khoya and sugar to mixture. Add raisins, saffron, and milk.
  4. Keep carrots uncovered on medium heat; allow water to dry stirring occasionally for 15 minutes.
  5. Once water is dry keep stirring for 5-6 minutes until halwa leaves oil (this is ghee from khoya). Mix in the ¾ of the sliced nuts and powdered cardamom, and garnish with the remaining nut pieces.

 

Critical Ingredients:

Khoya is a dried milk product used in India. A good substitute is a cream that forms on non-homogenized milk. Another option is to use crème Fraiche, as it is high in butterfat. In either case, you will have to cook the halwa a bit longer, as there will be much more moisture in the cream than in khoya, which is a dry, dense dairy product. Or you can leave out the sugar and add condensed milk instead of khoya, but that gives a very strong condensed milk flavour, which doesn’t particularly appeal to me.

 

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