Of all the halwas that my mother makes, this used to be my least favorite. And then a few years ago, well after my 40th birthday, one day sitting at my mom’s dining table in India, something changed. I remember thinking, “Wow, how could I have ever disliked carrot halwa?”
It’s not just the luxuriant, mellow flavours, it’s also that this dish is made with CARROTS. That’s it! Carrots. And if you’re a juicer, as in you juice vegetables every morning for a smoothie, you can even make this decadent dessert with spent, wrung-out, leftover carrots.
Watch my TV segment, Cook Once, Eat Thrice, on CTV’s The Social for tips about this recipe.
Decadent No-Waste Carrot Halwa
Ingredients
- 1 kg carrots (rinsed and scrubbed)
- 1 cup cane sugar
- 2 l milk
- A generous pinch of saffron
- 1 tsp cardamom powder
- 3 tbsp ghee
- chopped and roasted nuts (like pistachios, cashews, or slivered almonds)
Instructions
- Start with the milk, boil it in a heavy-bottomed pan and then reduce the heat to a low simmer for 10 minutes. Remove a few teaspoons of milk in a small bowl and mix in the saffron threads, and set it aside.
- While the milk is simmering, peel, wash and grate the carrots. Use a food processor or a cheese grater. Add the grated carrots into the milk, a handful at a time. Stir as you go along till you’ve added all the carrots in.
- Keep the pan on low heat and continue to stir to prevent it from catching at the bottom. Cook carrots and milk together till the milk has ¾ evaporated, approx. 15-20 minutes
- Using frozen carrots? Thaw and add them to the milk and proceed with the rest of the recipe.
- Add the saffron milk along with cardamom powder. Cook on low heat for another 10 minutes. Add in the ghee and sugar and keep cooking till the liquid has evaporated and the mixture takes on a darker fudgy appearance. Continue to scrape the bottom continuously, stirring till all the milk has evaporated.
- Once the halwa is done, remove in a serving bowl. Garnish with roasted nuts.
DID YOU MAKE THIS DISH?
I’d love to hear from you! How did yours come out, what did you add, or substitute? Share your questions or comments with me below.
