Gajar ka Halwa - dessert

Native region : Indian Subcontinent

Image Credit : By CIA (edited by User:Deepak) [Public domain or Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons | Indian Subcontinent

The Gajar Halwa is a dessert that originated in the Indian subcontinent. It is extremely popular and it is hard to find someone who dislikes it. The word halwa (meaning a "sweet") does not belong originally to an Indo-Aryan language, but since it originated in the mideval times when the Indian subcontinent was ruled by Mughal emperors, that is how it came to be known.
Gajar (carrot) halwa is a sweet made of grated carrots, sugar, milk, solidified milk (khoya) and nutes - in brief. 

Image Credit : Milkmaid.in | A bowl of "gajar ka halwa" garnished with pistachio and almonds.

Khoya (milk solidified by continuously heating milk in an open pan) is a great ingredient for many Indian desserts, including Gajar Halwa. It is sweet without the need of additionally adding sugar, and is healthy as one litre of milk yields less than 250 grams of khoya.

Image credit : Food.ndtv.com | Gajar Halwa garnished richly with khoya and nuts.

Alternatively, condensed milk or even milk can be used, but it will take a lot of time to thicken the normal milk. Let us look at the recipe using a condensed milk - as that is more readily available (and is cheaper than) khoya. In any case, a little milk is definitely required in the initial stage of cooking.

The recipe is quite simple but is time taking, but is a dish of the royal times and is a delicacy. So, the time is worth it.

1. Mix grated carrots and milk and bring to boil. Keep stirring as the milk dries up.
2. Add condensed milk. Continue cooking and occasionally stirring till the condensed milk dries up too.
3. Add ghee (a fat used extensively in India - also known as clarified butter) and cook for around 10 minutes. 
4. Garnish with nutes and serve!

Image credit : VegRecipesOfIndia.com | Milk boiling with the carrots during preparation of Gajar Halwa. 

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