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Carrot Halwa also known as Gajar ka halwa gajorer halua, Gajrela, and Gajar Pak, is a carrot-based sweet dessert pudding from the Indian subcontinent.

It is made by placing grated carrots in a pot containing a specific amount of milk and sugar and then cooking while stirring regularly. It is often served with a garnish of almonds and pistachios. The nuts and other items used are first sautéed in ghee, a South Asian clarified butter.

The dessert is traditionally eaten during all of the festivals in India, mainly on the occasion of Diwali, Holi, Eid al-Fitr and Raksha Bandhan. It is served hot during the winter.

Carrot halwa is a combination of nuts, milk, sugar, khoya and ghee with grated carrot. It is a light nutritious dessert with less fat (a minimum of 10.03% and an average of 12.19%) than many other typical South Asian desserts. Carrot halwa has a medium shelf life so it is now sometimes exported.

At festival time many people prefer vegetarian dishes as well as desserts in their Thali. Because of its low fat content, vegetarian characteristics, ease of making, medium shelf-life and taste Carrot halwa is a popular dessert all over India and often served at most festivals. The dish is popular among adults as well as children. In 300 grams of gajar halwa there are 268 calories (76 come from fat, 180 from carbohydrate and 16 from protein).

Carrots must first be grated and then dried before cooking. The grated carrots are then put into a heated pan with a specific amount of milk or khoya and sugar. After stirring for 4–5 minutes, roughly chopped cashew nuts are added and 10–15 minutes later a specific amount of pure ghee is added as well. Finally, it is often served with a garnish of almonds and pistachios.

The healthy carrot halwa can be made with jaggery also. It is easy to cook, healthy and yummy dessert and you need very few ingredients to cook carrot halwa or gajar ka halwa.

I got this recipe from my father, I loved the carrot halwa the way he cooks and he know this is one of my favourite so he cooks it when I visit my home.

Ingredients

Preparation

• Wash carrots properly under running water. Peel them and grate them with the help of a hand grater or in a food processor. Keep the grated carrots aside for later use.

• Dry roast the nuts (chopped cahsew nuts, chopped almonds, melon seeds) on a low heat until they turns crunchy. Keep stirring in between so that they won't burn. You can also fry them in ghee (clarified butter) if you prefer. You may use the nuts as per your taste and wish.

• Once done keep them aside and let them cool down.

• Take a heavy bottom pot or a deep pan. Add milk into it and bring it to boil on a medium flame.

• Once done, simmer the flame and then add the grated carrots into it and stir it.

• Cook it till the milk has completely evaporated. Keep on stirring constantly in between so that it won't burn.

• Now add sugar and stir well. Sugar will release a lot of moisture.

• Cook it until half of the moisture gets evaporated.

• Then add ghee into it and stir well.

• Just before you finish off, add green cardamom pods (hari elachi) into it.

• Continue to cook the carrot halwa until the moisture evaporates and the halwa thickens.

• Garnish carrot halwa with already roasted or fried nuts. You can keep some nuts and use them to garnish the carrot halwa before serving.

• Carrot Halwa is ready to serve.

• Serve carrot halwa either hot, warm or chilled. Before serving you may garnish with some nuts.

• Enjoy yummy carrot halwa with your loved ones.