Desserts · Punjab

Gajar ka Halwa

The Punjabi winter pudding: grated red carrots cooked slowly in full-fat milk until it all reduces, then fried in ghee with sugar, cardamom and nuts.

Prep 20 min · Cook 70 min · Total 90 min · Serves 6

Ingredients

Halwa

• 1 kg Carrots, grated
• 1 l Full-fat milk
• 150 g Sugar
• 4 tbsp Ghee
• 6 Green cardamom pods, seeds ground

To finish

• 15 Almonds, slivered
• 12 Cashews, chopped
• 1 tbsp Raisins

Method

1. Simmer in milk. Put the carrots and milk in a heavy, wide pan and bring to the boil. Cook on medium, stirring every few minutes and scraping the sides, until nearly all the milk has evaporated.
2. Add the sugar. Stir in the sugar. It will loosen the mixture again; keep cooking until it dries out.
3. Fry in ghee. Add 3 tbsp of the ghee and cook, stirring constantly, until the halwa turns glossy, deepens in colour and leaves the sides of the pan.
4. Nuts. Fry the almonds, cashews and raisins in the last tbsp of ghee until the nuts are golden and the raisins puff.
5. Serve. Stir in the cardamom and most of the nuts, scatter the rest on top, and serve warm, on its own or with vanilla ice cream.

Tips

A wide pan is the secret: the milk reduces in half the time. Grate the carrots on the coarse side of a box grater, not in a food processor, so the halwa has texture.