How to Prepare Carrot Halwa (4 Steps)

One of the fascinating things about travel is seeing how differently other culinary cultures use our familiar ingredients. Carrots, for example, are almost always a side dish or salad vegetable in American cooking. In other countries, their high sugar content makes them a popular dessert ingredient. One noteworthy example is carrot halwa, a sort of thick and fudgy pudding made with carrots and boiled milk. It is considered a "comfort food" dessert in India, much as apple pie is here.

Things You'll Need

  • Saucepan
  • 3 cups grated carrots
  • 4 cups whole milk
  • Wooden spoon, or silicon spatula
  • 1/2 cup palm sugar or brown sugar
  • 1 tbsp ghee or clarified butter
  • 1/4 tsp ground cardamom
  • 3 or 4 threads of saffron
  • Serving dish
  • 1/2 cup slivered almonds or pistachios

Instructions

  1. Place a saucepan on the stove, and fill it with the milk and grated carrots. Cook at a low simmer for about 1 hour, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon or silicon spatula. By this time the milk should have reduced by about half, and thickened noticeably.

  2. Add the sugar and ghee, or clarified butter, to the pot. Stir constantly for about 10 minutes, until the carrots and sugar form a stiff ball and come away from the sides of the pot.

  3. Stir in the cardamom and saffron, and remove the pot from the heat. Stir in half of the nuts, retaining the other half.

  4. Scoop the halwa into a serving dish, and smooth it into a large round. Garnish the top with the remaining slivered nuts, and serve hot or warm. Alternatively, portion the halwa into individual dessert bowls and garnish with a few slivers of almonds or pistachios.

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