Ingredients:


1½ kg carrots, peeled and grated*

1 L milk (I use 3% fat, but full fat milk gives a richer taste)

1 cup sugar

¾ cup ghee

1 ½ tsp powdered cardamom

¼ cup golden raisins

¼ cup halved cashewnuts

*Do not grate the carrots very fine or your halwa will turn mushy, though it would still taste good.



Method:


In a small pan, heat 1 tbsp ghee and fry the raisins, over low to medium heat, till they puff up and just start browning. Remove from the ghee and keep aside. In the same pan, heat another tbsp of ghee and similarly fry the cashewnuts till they are lightly golden. Remove them from the ghee and keep aside. If there is any ghee left, use it while adding the rest of the ghee while making the halwa.

Pour the milk into a heavy bottomed and deep pan. Add the carrots and cook over medium to high heat while stirring frequently, till the carrots are done and the milk has reduced to less than half the original quantity.

You can do this in the microwave too, which is what I do. I prefer doing this part of the cooking in the MW, because it saves time and ensures that the carrots don't become mushy. If using the MW, then divide the grated carrots into half. Cook one half with 1 cup of milk (loosely cover the deep glass bowl) for 8 minutes at 100%. Repeat this with the other half too. Then Put the cooked carrot-milk mixture and the remaining milk in the heavy bottomed pan and bring it to a boil and reduce the milk to about half the original quantity.

Now add the sugar and keep stirring till its dissolved and the mixture is thicker and most of the liquid has evaporated. Add the ghee, in two separate lots, stirring well after each addition. Keep stirring until the halwa turns a slightly deeper red in colour and no liquid is visible at the bottom of the pan. The halwa should be soft and moist but not wet. Take the pan off the heat.
Now add the powdered cardamom, raisind and cashenuts and mix everything well. Allow to cool and store in the refrigerator or freezer.

Gajar/ Carrot halwa tastes best when served slightly warm. So just before serving, slightly warm the halwa. Many people in India prefer to serve/ eat this halwa with vanilla ice-cream but I prefer the halwa just as it is, warm and fragrant with cardamom.