Recipe to Try: Gajar Ka Halwa

I know what it feels like being stuck at home! Quarantine has been indeed a new experience for most of us; it has brought stress, madness, etc. Let us look at the bright side and remember there is a kitchen for us to entertain ourselves. Instead of getting ourselves locked up around the media, let’s cook!

During my aunt’s birthday, we decided to order Indian food because that is her favorite and she wanted some gajar ka halwa (carrot pudding) for dessert; unfortunately, the Indian restaurant did not have it. So guess what? I decided to make her birthday special and prepare the dessert myself. 

To give you a quick-feedback on how it tastes, let me tell you that it is incredibly delicious. It is a sweet pudding that you get to eat while it is warm. It is pretty velvety, otherwise said, it is quite the soft taste. The texture is pleasing and the sweetness of the milks combined with the carrot makes it taste unique. It is not only sweet carrot, but also the spices add much more taste to it.

Here are the ingredients you need for gajar ka halwa: carrots, condensed milk, evaporated milk or regular milk, butter salted or unsalted, ground cardamom, and lastly ground nutmeg. These are six easy-to-find ingredients for such an exquisite dessert that you have probably not tried yet. 

Take out a pot and the ingredients; first you will grate the 5 carrots, after the carrots are all shredded, you will need to place 3 tablespoons of butter on the pot. After the butter is melted you will place the grated carrots on the pot (make sure to not burn your butter). Next, you will cover the pot with the lid and leave it on medium heat for 3 minutes. 

Once the 3 minutes have passed, you will need to add 1 cup of evaporated milk or regular milk and 1 cup of condensed milk. Cover the pot again for another 3-4 minutes. Make sure to stir the pudding occasionally between those minutes. 

Lastly you will be adding ½ teaspoon of the ground cardamom and 1 teaspoon of ground nutmeg. You stir the pudding again and cover the pot, let it sit on medium heat for 5 minutes (stir occasionally). 

Your gajar ka halwa is done! Turn off the stove and let it cool down so you can get a yummy taste or eat it while it is still warm, your choice. Enjoy this recipe and share it with your family. 

My aunt ended up loving it; as a matter of fact, she asked me to make it again for the next few weeks so she can snack on it. My aunt stated, ¨It tastes better when you make it at home because you can make it the way you desire it.¨ That being said, we will no longer buy it; instead, we will make it at home whenever we have the craving for some gajar ka halwa.  With this recipe, you can too! 

Quick summary of the recipe ingredients

Recipe to Try Gajar Ka Halwa: 

5 carrots

1 cup condensed milk

1 cup evaporated milk/regular milk

½ tsp ground cardamom 

1 tsp ground nutmeg 

3 tbsp Butter unsalted/salted

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