Gajar Halwa Carrot Sweet Punjabi Style

Method

1. 1

   Grate the carrots: Peel 1 kg fresh red carrots. Grate them coarsely on a box grater. You should have about 5 to 6 cups of grated carrot.

2. 2

   Heat ghee in a wide heavy pot: Place the widest, heaviest pot you have on medium heat. Add 4 tbsp ghee. Let it melt and become hot. The wide pot allows more surface area for evaporation — crucial for this recipe.

3. 3

   Add grated carrot and cook in ghee: Add all the grated carrot to the hot ghee. Stir immediately and thoroughly. Cook on medium heat stirring every 2 minutes for 10 minutes. The carrot will release a lot of moisture during this phase — the kitchen will fill with the fragrance of carrot cooking in ghee.

4. 4

   Add the milk: After 10 minutes of cooking in ghee, pour in 750 ml full-fat milk. Stir well. The mixture will look very wet and saucy. Bring to a boil.

5. 5

   Cook down the milk — the long phase: This is the most time-consuming step. Cook on medium heat, stirring every 3 to 4 minutes, for 30 to 40 minutes. The milk will gradually evaporate. The mixture will go through stages — very wet, then saucy, then thick, then beginning to dry out. Scrape the bottom of the pot each time you stir — the milk-carrot mixture burns easily on the bottom.

6. 6

   Add sugar when milk is mostly absorbed: When almost all the milk has evaporated and the mixture looks thick and beginning to stick together, add the sugar. The sugar will release some moisture — this is expected. Stir continuously after adding.

7. 7

   Cook after adding sugar: Continue cooking and stirring for 8 to 10 more minutes as the sugar water evaporates. The halwa will become darker, more fragrant and will start pulling away from the sides of the pot.

8. 8

   Fry cashews and add nuts: While cooking the halwa, in a separate small pan fry cashews in 1 tsp ghee until golden. Add the fried cashews, raisins and saffron milk to the halwa. Stir.

9. 9

   Finish: The halwa is done when it is deep red, thick, comes away from the pan sides cleanly when stirred, looks glossy and a spoonful holds its shape briefly before spreading. Add cardamom powder and stir.

10. 10

    Garnish and serve: Serve in a bowl garnished with sliced almonds and pistachio. Gajar halwa is served warm. It can be refrigerated and reheated with a splash of milk.

11. 11

    Note: Gajar Halwa is specifically a winter preparation — made only from November to February when the deep red Delhi/Punjabi carrots are in season. These red carrots have 40 percent less water content than orange carrots and naturally more sugar — producing a thicker, deeper-coloured halwa. The orange carrots available year-round produce a lighter-coloured, less sweet halwa. Gajar halwa is made for every Punjabi and North Indian winter festival and family gathering.